Sinister Soulmates
by 01SonAmy01
Summary: Sonic and Amy have started dating. Knuckles and Rouge don't know where they stand. The battle for the chaos emeralds continues and a new face joins the Sonic Team, but when Jecht meets them, chaos is unleashed! How will Jecht handle these new feelings? Can two enemies possibly be in love? Sequel to Surrogate of Seduction. OCXOC, SonAmy, Knouge and Taismo.
1. A New Friend

**So here's the first chapter to my story, Sinister Soulmates! It's a sequel to 'Surrogate of Seduction' so that explains why there's a lot of 'S's. This sequel won't make much sense unless you've read S.o.S, so I'd do that first ;)  
This chapter will start with some SonAmy, to get your tastes buds tingling! So I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Sinister Soulmates!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters in this story except for Jecht and Rikku. Nor do I own any plot relations that may be associated with Sonic X or any of the Sonic the Hedgehog games.**

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**Sinister Soulmates**

_Since Jecht the Hedgehog's first mission, Sonic and Amy have started dating, along with Knuckles and Rouge. The endless battle for the Chaos Emeralds continues and Sonic and friends are still fighting for them. But a new face joins their team and when Jecht meets them, chaos is unleashed! But how will Jecht handle these new feelings, and what do they mean? How will Sonic react to seeing his rival again, and what has become of his new relationship?_

**Chapter 1 – A New Friend**

Amy Rose stared out of the window of the _X-Tornado_, smiling contentedly as the clouds passed her by. Her gaze drifted to a particular blue hedgehog crouched on the wing of the aircraft. Her smile grew as Sonic noticed her and winked, posing with his thumbs up. She giggled and waved to her new boyfriend, still somewhat giddy from his confession only days ago.

He's so perfect, she thought dreamily. And he's mine, too.  
She finally pried her jade eyes away from the handsome hedgehog, trying to remind herself of what they were doing. She'd been so lost in her day dreaming that she'd briefly forgotten why she was in the _X-Tornado _with Tails, Cream and Sonic in the first place. Cream suddenly spoke, her high pitched voice reaching out to the fox seated in front of her.

"Tails, has the radar detected a Chaos Emerald yet?" she asked.

The young pilot kept his eyes on the screen. "Not yet, Cream," he answered.

Amy smiled to herself. Of course, she remembered now, they were on a search for the Chaos Emeralds, yet again.

I wonder how often we're going to have to do this; it could go on for years.

She looked at Sonic again, her spirits rising.

But I don't care! As long as Sonic's with me, I'll do anything!

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The pink hedgehog dropped her gaze to examine the mountains below them, taking in the beauty of their planet. The grass that blanketed the valley was strong and lush. It was a lovely green colour, aside from the strange, lilac shape in one place. Amy squinted, focusing on the pale purple form. "What _is _that?" she murmured. She pulled out a pair of binoculars from under her seat, and held them to her eyes. She trained the binoculars onto the shape and gasped. It was a lilac cat lying in the grass, female it seemed. But the cat was resting in an awkward position, obviously not sleeping. "She's hurt," Amy realised quickly.

"What was that, Amy?" Tails asked.

Amy's ears perked up, alert. "There's somebody down there! They look unconscious!"

The other passengers glanced out of the window, excluding Sonic who – being outside – hadn't heard. Cream placed her small hand against the glass as Cheese fluttered beside her. "I hope she'll be alright," she said.

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Amy stared at her two friends, who seemed to be doing nothing to try and land the plane. "Well? Are we flying down there or not?" she demanded to Tails.

"We've got too much altitude to land there. We could crash into a mountain!" the fox replied, knowing all too well of Amy's nature for rash decisions.

"She needs help, Tails!" Amy cried. "We have to try!"

The young boy said nothing and Amy frowned. Cream poked her head between the seats to face the pink hedgehog behind her, smiling supportively. "I'm sure someone will help her, Amy," he said helpfully.

Amy narrowed her eyes, her decision made. "Yeah? Well that someone's gonna be me!" she declared. With that final statement in the open, she unfastened her seatbelt and stood up on her seat.

Tails turned his head to face her, instantly sensing a replay of when Dr. Eggman had grabbed Sonic in the clutches of his robot, Octoron, and Amy had leaped out of the plane without thinking twice. "Amy," he said, but she'd already pushed up on the cover of the aircraft, stepping outside of the cabin. It was certainly looking like an action replay, because he found himself saying the same thing as he had done the last time. "Amy, wait!" he cried. Just as she had done before, Amy jumped out of the plane before anyone could stop her.

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Sonic's eyes snapped open as he suddenly saw Amy heading for the ground. He crouched before springing off of the plane wing, catapulting downwards towards her. He felt his stomach lurch as he flew through the air. In seconds he was beside her, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly, protecting her. "Hang on tight!" he yelled over the winds that rushed past them.

She did as he said and returned his grip, burying her face in his chest. She was beginning to realise that perhaps leaping off the plane wasn't a very good idea, as she couldn't use her hammer and there was no robot to break their fall this time. She held him tighter, preparing herself for when they hit the ground. Sonic tensed his body, holding Amy against him so that she wouldn't get hurt. The ground appeared to be rushing up to them now, although they were the ones rushing down to meet it. It grew closer and closer. Sonic clamped his eyes shut, steeling himself.

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In seconds, they crashed into the earth below them, bouncing off slightly. They rolled to the side before finally stopping. Sonic kept Amy tucked in his arms, and he cautiously opened his eyes. She was unscathed, thankfully. She looked up at him, both of them aware of how close their faces were. He smiled, released his hold on her and sat up. "What is it with you and jumping off planes?" he joked, noticing a stray blade of grass on his head. He struggled to look at it and protruded his lower lip, blowing it off with a short puff.

Amy giggled, but seriousness invaded her expression as she remembered the reason for exiting the plane. She and Sonic spotted the fallen cat and ran over to her, examining her in wonder for a moment. She looked about the same age as Sonic, with three bangs like Amy and a long, furry tail with a white tip. She wore a cream coloured top with a mauve strip across the middle that tied into a large bow at the back, and narrow, short sleeves that hung loosely across her shoulders. From her waist downwards was a dark violet skirt, almost black, and on her feet were short black boots, similar to Amy's. Her gloves were also alike to Amy's, but with a dark purple bracelet instead of golden. She was pretty, Amy mused, but her lilac face was drawn with a troubled expression as she lay still. The pink hedgehog cocked her head in interest, before her own expression faded into concern.

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She noticed Sonic crouched beside her, equally inquisitive about the cat. The quiet atmosphere was broken and a sudden wind tugged at their quills as the _X-Tornado_ noisily landed several metres behind them. Tails and Cream hopped out, running over to them. "Are you guys alright?" Tails asked, catching his breath.

"We're fine," Sonic said firmly, "Not so sure about her, though." His voice lowered as he gestured to the unknown cat.

Amy gently touched the cat's arm, calling to her. "Hello? Can you hear me?" She waited for a moment, receiving not even the slightest of movement.

Cream spoke up timidly. "Maybe she's just having a long nap," she suggested.

Tails shook his head, about to make his own diagnosis probably consisting of several technical terms and philosophies. Amy whipped round, addressing him before he had the chance to speak. "Tails," she said, in her commanding tone, "We need the water supply from the _X-Tornado_."

"But, Amy-"  
"Just get me a bottle!" she ordered.

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Tails sighed, used to Amy's bossiness by now, and ran to the plane to retrieve a bottle of still water. He ran back, quickly handing it to her before she could make any complaints. Amy held it in her hand, wondering what to do for a moment. Then she directed it above the girl's face and squeezed. A thin stream of water jetted out, spraying the cat and wetting her head completely. The four friends leaned closer, watching the purple feline. She stirred. Her eyelids fluttered before opening fully, revealing lime green orbs. She sat up and regarded the people around her in wonder, her hands supporting her. Sonic gave a thumbs-up gesture and smiled warmly. "Hey, are you okay? Sorry you're a little wet" he laughed.

She nodded, still dazed. She glanced at her surroundings, confused. "Wha- where am I?" she asked finally.

"You're in Silver Valley," Tails announced. "But what happened to you?"

She looked down, frowning in concentration. "I don't know," she said quietly. "All I remember is running. I _had_ to get away, so I ran. And I guess... I guess I ended up here," she concluded.

Cream piped up. "What were you running from?"

"I don't remember exactly," said the lilac girl. "But I needed to leave my village." Her brow was furrowed as she strained her memory, but nothing more came to her.

Amy held out her hand to the cat, beaming. "I'm Amy Rose," she said. "What's your name?"

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The cat took it gratefully, and was helped to her feet. She kept her gaze on the pink hedgehog and finally returned her smile. "Rikku," she replied, feeling somewhat comforted by the four companions.

Sonic moved to stand beside his girlfriend. "Bet you know _my_ name," he grinned.

Rikku's face suddenly lit up with recognition. "Of course I know you, Sonic." She glanced around the rest of his friends. "Yes, I know all of you. You're heroes!"

Sonic grinned again. "Amy was the one who saved you," he said. "She even jumped out of a plane to see if you were okay," he laughed, pointing to the aircraft behind them.

Rikku's eyes widened and she turned to Amy. "Thank you so much," she said.

Amy nodded, linking her arm with Sonic's. "Well Sonic can't always be the hero," she declared, earning a raised eyebrow and a playful grin from her boyfriend.

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Rikku regarded the two hedgehogs, realising that they were obviously together. Sonic laughed. "What next, Eggman can't always be the villain?" he teased.

Rikku suddenly perked up her ears at the mention of the evil scientist and her eyes widened in remembrance. "Eggman..." she breathed. Her new acquaintances turned to her. "That's why I ran from my home! Eggman was there!"

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "What was _that_ clown doing there?"

"He said he wanted a Chaos Emerald. He knew that my town had one hidden somewhere and he threatened to destroy it if we didn't give him the emerald."

"Where is your town? Do you want us to take you there?" volunteered Tails.

She shook her head. "There's no point. Eggman completely wrecked it and took the emerald with him." Her ears lowered, her voice taking on a distressed tone. "There's nothing left. Everyone was wiped out except me."

Amy placed a hand on her arm comfortingly.

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Sonic looked at her. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Rikku felt her eyes fill with tears. "I- I don't know. I mean... I guess I'll have to stay in a hotel somewhere, but I don't have-"  
Amy cut her off. "Don't be silly! You're staying with _me_," she said firmly.

Rikku stared at her. "R- really?"

"Of course! Where else would you go? Besides, if _I_ saved you then _I'll_ be the one to look after you."

Rikku sent her a watery smile. "Thank you, Amy," she said.

"It's no problem," Amy said, returning the smile compassionately.

"Isn't there any way that I could repay you?"

Sonic grinned. "You could always help us deal with Egghead," he said. "Maybe we'll try and get that Chaos Emerald back!"

Rikku wiped her eyes and smiled again, determination settling within her. "I'll definitely help with that! I'm not a very good fighter but I'll do the best I can!" Her new friends nodded approvingly and showed her to the _X-Tornado_.

Rikku would turn out to be a good friend, they thought. And as they flew her to Amy's house to get settled in, they were all wondering what kind of ally she would be.

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**So that was chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it, but unfortunately there are people on this site who insist on annoying comments so I must point out a few things.  
Firstly, people have _asked_ me to do a sequel and you don't like it, tough. I don't want to hear rubbish about using my OCs or anything about 'Mary-Sues' so if you're going to spam me with stupid nonsense I'd think twice if I were you.  
Secondly, think about it, if people didn't create characters then we wouldn't have Sonic in the first place, duhh! Some people somewhere out there create characters so why can't we? Plenty of people make OCs for their work and many _do_ appreciate them so don't bother flaming or anything rudely critical like that. Thank you.  
If you are one of my friendly readers (you know who you are, I luv you guys ;)) or if you're actually going to review properly, then please feel free! Reviews are welcome! Thanks. :)**


	2. An Amazing Encounter

**So chapter 2 is here for you! :) Thank you to _silverdawn2010, IHeartSonAmy, maylolsmith _and _sinister showdown_ for reviewing my first chapter! So, let's take a look as Rikku meets a certain somebody...**

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**Chapter 2 – An Amazing Encounter**

Several days after Sonic and his friends had met Rikku, an opportunity arose for her to prove herself as they were about to infiltrate Eggman's base. Rikku and Amy had become good friends quite quickly, and they ended up chatting past midnight on most nights. Amy mostly talked about Sonic though, but Rikku didn't mind.

Sonic had raced to Amy's house one morning, declaring that they were going to 'see what Egghead's up to.' Amy glomped him as soon as she opened the door and he laughed. He greeted his girlfriend with a kiss, but blushed when he realised that Rikku was in the room. The blue hedgehog – who clearly wasn't accustomed to displaying his affections in public yet – pulled away gently and turned to smile at Rikku. "You know the Chaos Emerald that was in your village," he said, "We're gonna get that back, too. So are you ready to kick some Egg-butt?"

Rikku smiled. "You bet!"

They met up with Tails, Knuckles and Rouge in Tails' workshop, to prepare the _X-Tornado_. "Eggman's got a flying fortress now," Amy explained to Rikku, "So we're using the _X-Tornado_ to get up there."

Rikku nodded, pleased to be part of the action.

They were all about to board the aircraft when Rouge spoke up. "Hang on a minute," she said. "We'll need weapons. Who knows what Eggman's been up to? He hasn't attacked in ages, he could easily have some huge, secret robots up there," she pointed out.

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Amy smirked. "I've got my hammer," she announced. "I'll pound them out of the way!"

Knuckles glanced at Rouge in surprise. "But Rouge, you don't need weapons."

Rouge smiled at him. "That's true. But what about Rikku?"

Rikku glanced about the group, feeling unsure. Knuckles walked over to the stock cupboard, pulled something out of it, and walked back. His friends raised their eyebrows as they realised that he was holding a broom. "She can use this," he said, handing it to the cat.

Rikku laughed and accepted it. "It's better than nothing I suppose," she giggled.

Knuckles straightened himself, a proud smile on his face, causing him to miss Sonic's comment of, "He really is a knucklehead isn't he?"

Once they'd climbed in – or _on_, in Sonic's case – Tails started the engine and they flew into the sky. Rikku laughed out loud with her new friends, feeling both excited and a little nervous at the concept of her first battle. But she was determined to do what she could, both for her team and her lost town.

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They arrived on the floating base in minutes, and they had only a few seconds before the security alarm sounded immediately. They jumped and Rikku looked panicked. Amy took her arm and said, "Don't worry, that was supposed to happen. Come on!"

With that last statement they ran towards the main base, dodging several missiles in the process. Rikku watched her comrades in wonder. Anyone would expect people to be frightened with missiles flying towards them in every direction, but they seemed to be grinning as they moved out the way, sometimes hitting them back. Rikku found herself smiling in turn, as she ran alongside them, ducking as a large projectile flew over her head. Sonic spindashed a massive bullet that headed towards them, slicing it into pieces, and Knuckles broke them up with his Shovel Claw. Rouge flew above them, keeping watch and landing in front of the entrance to the base, ready to get their attention. Amy was doing her own fair share of the defending with her hammer, and Tails easily zipped in and out of the ammo, propelling his tails so that he could hover above the ground, Rikku noticed.

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Reaching the centre of the base, Sonic broke through the wall with another spindash and they ran inside, greeted by the face of their overweight opponent. Eggman glared at them, his tinted eyeglasses flashing with vehemence. He let out an infuriated growl. "How dare you break in here?" he bellowed.

"Just seeing what you're up to, Egghead!" retorted Sonic. "And to win back a Chaos Emerald!"

"Don't even try it, warthog!" Eggman growled menacingly. He glanced at Rikku and snickered. "Who's this? A new little friend in your team, is it?"

Rikku was about to shout back when Amy did it for her.

"Her _name_ is Rikku!" the pink hedgehog yelled.

The banter continued but Rikku abruptly zoned out for a moment, interested by a green male hedgehog who'd just arrived in the area. He was standing beside a large machine of some sort, but Rikku's attention remained on him. He must have been working for Eggman, she knew as she regarded him. He was attractive, with three bangs like her own and a mass of long quills. He seemed to be surveying her team with his lilac-blue eyes, casually but with a hint of hostility. He looked fairly strong as well, she realised.

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She felt herself stiffen as his eyes suddenly found hers, a brief tension between them. He seemed to tense as well, to her surprise. Her eyes widened, curiosity invading her mind. It was as if neither could break the gaze if they wanted to. A flash of panic crossed his expression as he turned away, wrenching himself from her eyes. She kept watching him though, entranced. She could have stayed like that for a while but was brought out of her haze by Sonic calling to Eggman again.

"Is that the Eclipse Cannon?" he exclaimed incredulously, looking at the huge machine beside the green hedgehog.

The rest of his friends noticed the mechanism as well, before turning back to glower at their enemy. Eggman scowled. "Don't be ridiculous!" he snarled. "Once the Eclipse Cannon was destroyed I had no intention of restoring it and it would have been impossible anyway. No no, this is something far more ingenious. It's one of my greatest creations that will allow me to conquer this world _and_ the rest of the universe!" he crowed. A malicious grin spread across his face. "But I've told you enough. Now I'm clearing out you pests with my latest extinguishing devices!" He slammed his fist on a large red button.

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In seconds, the walls around them lifted to reveal armies of robots, with small cannons as arms. Their eyes glowed yellow as they all simultaneously turned to Sonic and his friends, as if to lock on target. The hedgehog braced himself, instantly reverting into his battle stance, his companions doing the same. The mechanical creatures wasted no time and instantly raced into the room, placing themselves opposite the heroes. There was no need for a starting whistle; the battle started on the second that the robots finished moving. Chaos erupted as Sonic and his team were immediately burdened with the robotic drones lunging at them, shooting tiny laser beams in a hurricane of glowing darts. Knuckles ploughed through a metal arm with his Shovel Claw, slightly overwhelmed by the whole of the motorised attacker, which appeared to be rather solid. He worked with Rouge as they fought off the robots. Tails tried kicking a few of them, before producing his hand drill and using that instead. And of course Amy was with her trusty hammer, trying to bash every enemy in sight. Sonic sliced through the occasional drone, but his attention had been claimed by a small, glowing light coming from the machine that he'd thought was the Eclipse Cannon. There was a Chaos Emerald inside that thing for sure.

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Ignoring the robots tailing him, Sonic raced to the oversized contraption. His suspicions had been right, as he noticed the familiar blue glow of one of the seven Chaos Emeralds. He picked it up, grinning. His smile faded as he was suddenly aware that he was completely surrounded by Eggman's robots. He gritted his teeth and curled into a spindash, tossing aside several drones until another wall of them appeared behind the deceased row. He frowned in concentration. A flash of lilac caught his eye as he suddenly spotted Rikku behind them. In one easy motion, he jumped and flung it through the air, shouting, "Rikku! Catch!"

The robotic henchmen were too stunned to claim the glowing gem as it whizzed past them. Rikku looked up just in time and swiped the emerald from the air, beaming proudly. "I got it!" she cried. She observed her prize happily, recognising the dark blue radiance. It was definitely the emerald from her village. But her victory was short lived, as the crowd of robots turned their attention to her. She glanced around them, fear suddenly consuming her.

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Half of the motorised combatants were thankfully focused on her other comrades, holding them off, but the green hedgehog was now concentrated on her as well, after Eggman had yelled at him to do something. His eyes were narrowed and trained on her. Her mind froze as she remained motionless, too afraid to move. A voice called out to her, snapping her into realism. Amy was jumping up at down, shrieking something at her.

"Run, Rikku!" Amy cried. "Run! _Run_!"

Rikku shook her head as she felt her senses kick into her. Still gripping the gem and the broom, her legs were booted into action. She didn't try to pick a direction, she just ran. She sprinted past the battle, heading towards a corridor at the side of the room. It would have almost impossible for her to choose a path anyway; everything looked the same. She rushed through the doors, her echoing steps in synch with her racing pulse. She twisted her head back as she ran, observing the view behind her. None of the robots were following her, she noted in wonder, they were all probably blocking her friends from reaching her.

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She was suddenly engulfed in dread again as the green hedgehog came into the view, tearing after her at a frightening speed. His footsteps were now added to the resonance of hers, also adding to the panic inside her. She turned back to the path ahead, abruptly sighting the sharp corner in the corridor. She followed it, her knees aching slightly from the pressure as she swerved round. She was faced with another wall as the passage split into two. She took a fleeting look each way, not properly regarding her options and ran down the first route. Yet another wall greeted her, grey and bleak, and this time with no other diversions.

It's a dead end, she realised in terror.

She spun back around to face her exit, only to see it blocked by the green hedgehog who'd caught up already.

His eyes flashed threateningly, and Rikku swallowed. Her legs were trembling, both from the strain of running and from her fear. The male said nothing but he held out his hand expectantly, signalling for her to give him the Chaos Emerald. She tried to disregard her apprehension and forced a determined frown upon her face. She glanced at the broom in her hand. It hadn't necessarily been a serious weapon idea, but she hadn't thought it was going to be a battle of such a serious difficulty. She bit her lip, wishing more than anything that she'd been more prepared, or that she'd at least brought something a little better than a _broom_.

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Rikku narrowed her eyes, trying to look fierce. It didn't matter who was threatening her, she'd promised to help her team and that's what she'd do. There was no way that this guy was getting the emerald. She titled the broom, using her other hand to balance it towards the green male, as if to attack him. He didn't look the slightest bit afraid. She suddenly darted at him with it, thrusting it towards his face. His hand shot out and he threw it aside, still watching her with an intimidating expression. The broom clattered to the floor, far from her reach. Her eyes widened. She was out of ideas.

The hedgehog held out his hand again, with the same authority as before. "Give me the Chaos Emerald," he said.

Her ears twitched at his voice, taking in the new sound.

She looked down at the gem.

I can't give it up, she thought desperately. Amy didn't give up on me, so I won't give up the Chaos Emerald.

She clutched it tighter, staring at the hedgehog. There was no point in running; he'd catch her straight away. She mentally weighed out her options; there weren't many. It was fight of flight. Rikku clenched her other hand into a fist. Fight. With a small grunt she threw herself at him, her arms outstretched, ready to attack him in any way possible. His reflexes got to work as he grabbed her wrists, preventing her from moving them. That was when it happened.

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Jecht wasn't sure what had caused it but he guessed it was the contact between them. The second that his hands touched her wrists, something that felt like lightning shot between them. It was as if an electric current was pulsating inside them, making their minds spin. That one second of contact had caused what felt like a powerful voltage in the air around them. It ricocheted in and out of their bodies, making them weak at the knees. Rikku felt her knees give way as she stumbled in shock. Jecht was still holding her, and he supported her, just as mesmerised as she was. They both fell to the floor, still touching, still sending that indescribable current between them, like telepathic waves. Rikku's eyes were wide in surprise and interest. Jecht's were just as big, but he looked stunned and almost frightened. There was a layer terror held deep within his lilac eyes that Rikku didn't fail to see. The unfamiliar feeling in the air was electrifying, leaving both the hedgehog and the cat staring at each other. Her lime orbs met his pastel-lavender ones, like two magnets of opposite ends being attracted to each other.

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Rikku could not get her head around this feeling. It was perhaps a little naive, she knew, but she couldn't help wondering: was it... magic? It certainly felt like it. She could nearly feel the sparks of energy radiating from their bodies where their arms touched. Not only could she detect the fear in his eyes, but she could sense it from him, too. It felt like she was connected to him in some way, as if she'd known him for years and understood his every emotion. It was odd, she mused briefly in the back of her mind, that seconds ago she'd been terrified, and that had all been lifted away from one single touch. Instead she was amazed, wanting to understand this strange flow between the two. Of course it was unfamiliar, but she found that she almost liked it. It felt quite pleasant, thrilling but mysterious. She found herself being drawn into those pale, pastel-like orbs of his. They were entrancing her, keeping her from looking away. But it seemed like her fright was a curse and she'd passed it to him, his calm expression was long gone, replaced with panic. Like her, the green male was a little curious as well, but afraid all the same. It was like he'd seen an old ghost that he'd remembered from his childhood. He was still staring at her in fear and wonder, but also in recognition, as if he somewhat understood the connection but was scared of it.

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Rikku kept her gaze fixated on his. The green hedgehog finally allowed words to pass from his lips. "'The Legend of the Soulmates,'" he breathed in nervous awe.

It was almost inaudible, meant for his ears only, but Rikku heard him. Her ears straightened as she processed the words. "The what?" she whispered, genuinely interested and yet still taken aback.

The hedgehog blinked, his mouth trembling in effort to speak. "I... I- I..." He shook his head, his mouth hung agape. It looked as though someone had struck him across the face, with his wide eyes and now slightly red cheeks, the fear was evident. He suddenly let go of her wrists and scrambled backwards, astounded. "What the hell did you do to me?" he demanded, his gaze accusing but the panic was unmistakable. His chest was heaving as if he'd just escaped a fire-breathing dragon.

Rikku wasn't sure how to answer. "I- I didn't do anything, it just happened! But, what's 'The Legend of the Soulmates'?" she asked.

The hedgehog just stared for a second, spluttering a response. "It's nothing. Just forget that you ever heard that!"

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Rikku glanced at the Chaos Emerald, hesitant as to whether he'd try to wrestle it off her but he looked too distressed.

"You can keep the emerald, just get out of here," he said.

She wasted no time and raced back down to corridor to rejoin her friends, relieved but strangely saddened to be leaving the hedgehog. Of course, her relief overcame most other emotions. The shock from their 'encounter' was fresh in her mind, along with the astonishment that he'd let her get away. She looked around the huge room, to notice that there were masses of steaming robot relics lying around and her friends were smiling triumphantly.

I guess they finished the battle already, she mused.

Amy rushed over to the cat, babbling excitedly about the fight and asking where Rikku had gone, and that she'd noticed the hedgehog follow her and if she was alright. Rikku nodded quickly in response, still slightly awestruck. Amy said something else that Rikku didn't hear over her thoughts and with that they left the damaged base, their prize Chaos Emerald held tightly in Rikku's hand.

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**LOL Rikku tried to use a broom as a weapon :P I think this chapter may've been a little confusing. Maybe I didn't write it properly. Were you guys confused?**

**So who is that mysterious green hedgehog who Rikku met? Well, we all know who it was, plus I even said his name in one paragraph, but Rikku doesn't know it yet. :) And what is 'The Legend of the Soulmates'? What does it mean?**

**I know there wasn't much SonAmy or Knouge in this chapter but it was difficult to fit it in. There will some in future chapters, I promise :)  
Thanks for reading guys, I do appreciate it ^_^ Hopefully you could get to like Rikku, I dunno?  
Please review! (Unless you're an evil flamer dude! Back away, flamer, back away!)**


	3. Discussions

**Sorry, this chapter took a while but part of it wasn't in my original plan and it took a little thinking. Thank you, _SugarhogRose, silverdawn2010, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, IHeartSonAmy _and_ OddSakura_ for your reviews.**

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**Chapter 3 – Discussions**

After the battle, the six friends went back to the workshop for a while. Tails had placed the indigo Chaos Emerald into a specially designed vault for the powerful gems, to keep them safe and to retain their energy. He handed out some snacks among the team, and they were chatting and having a good time in general. Rikku was happy as well, but her mind kept drifting to that hedgehog and the legend that he'd spoke of. The Legend of the Soulmates... What was that? She couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the electrifying current between them when they'd touched. She was brought out of her thoughts for the second time that day as Amy's voice rang out.

"I should have known we'd see Jecht there," she said. Her tone sounded almost annoyed.

Rikku listened carefully. Could it be the hedgehog that she'd been with? She decided to voice her mental question. "Is Jecht the name of the green hedgehog?" Her friends nodded.

"The one who followed you," said Sonic.

So Jecht's his name...

Rikku thought over the name in her head, testing it. Jecht... It sounded exotic, she thought. Yes, it suited him. "How do you know him?" Rikku asked.

.

Sonic made a dismissive gesture. "Long story," he said.

Rikku knew that he clearly didn't like Jecht. "Did he do something... wrong?"

"Yeah. But that's old news now," he said calmly.

Rikku decided to hold her questions for Amy later. She'd learned that Sonic was all about the future and he didn't dwell on the past.

The group continued to talk for a while, but the green hedgehog- no, _Jecht_, was constantly on her mind. Once there was a silent break in the conversation, Rikku took her chance to question what she'd heard from Jecht. "Has anybody heard of 'The Legend of the Soulmates'?" she blurted.

Amy's ears perked up at that, as the rest of the group shook their heads curiously. "What is it?" she asked.

Rikku shrugged, her voice quietening again. "Well, I don't know but," she bit her lip. For some reason she decided that it wasn't a good idea to mention that she'd heard it from Jecht. "I heard it somewhere," she said, "And I was just wondering if any of you knew what it was."

There was no response, indicating that they knew nothing. Amy was still rather excited of the idea. "It sounds absolutely romantic!" she gushed.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "It sounds like something from a children's fairytale," he muttered, earning a sharp thump from Rouge.

.

Amy beamed at Sonic. Her hand had been linked with his for most of the afternoon and she squeezed it happily. "It reminds me of us," she giggled, expecting the slight blush on her boyfriend's muzzle.

"Yeah... I- I guess it does," he admitted, grinning bashfully.

She bubbled over with delight and threw her arms around him, loving how cute he looked when he was shy.

The remainder of the small group rolled their eyes, familiar with such antics. They expressed minor interest in Rikku's question before inducing in yet another conversational topic. The pale purple cat sighed. Maybe it seemed like a ridiculous idea, but she decided to ask Jecht about it when she next saw him. She was no longer afraid of him, for she had seen the vulnerable side of him. Of course she didn't know him well, but it very nearly felt like she did, or had done for years. She wanted nothing more than to talk to him, find out more about him. She couldn't be sure what had sparked her inquisitiveness but it was strong.

.

That evening, once she and Amy had gone back to the pink hedgehog's home, Rikku began to consider asking her friend about Jecht. They were both in Amy's room when the feline finally mentioned it. "Hey, Amy?"

Amy looked at Rikku. "Yeah?"

"What happened between you guys and... Jecht?"

Amy sighed, and began to tell the long and complicated story of how she'd met the green male, and how he'd used her for information at Eggman's command. She told Rikku of how he'd wormed his way closer to her, winding up Sonic in the process, and all for data about him.

As Rikku heard more and more of the events that had unfolded, her eyes widened further and further. She'd known that Jecht was working for Eggman, of course she'd known, but for some reason, hearing what Jecht had done that made her feel disappointed. Amy explained every detail and it was already dark outside once she'd finished. Rikku glanced up at her friend, somewhat saddened. It seemed like Amy was waiting for some form of reaction, so Rikku shrugged. "It sounds like he put you through a lot," she said quietly.

Amy smiled. "Yeah, but it was worth it, in a way," she grinned, obviously thinking about Sonic yet again.

Rikku returned her smile half-heartedly. "You got a boyfriend out of it," she giggled.

Amy laughed contentedly. "I did," she sighed in her famous romanticising way.

.

Rikku glanced at her gloved hands, her gaze absently drifting over her violet bangles. "He... he wasn't exactly _bad_ was he?" she asked.

Amy tilted her head in slight confusion. "I don't know, I didn't know him that well," she said. "Not that I wanted to," she added, turning her nose up at the mention of the green hedgehog, clearly still mad at him.

Not only had Rikku learned of Sonic's willingness to forget the past, she'd also noticed Amy's tendency to do the opposite and drag up moments from an earlier time to use against the supposed offenders.

The pink hedgehog regarded the cat carefully. "Did he flirt with you?" she asked. Her tone was firmer, but not against Rikku, it was more protective over her friend, as if to accuse Jecht despite his absence.

Rikku shook her head quickly. "No. Actually, he seemed a little afraid." She decided not to mention the odd connection for several reasons. She couldn't quite grasp why, but it seemed unwise to tell any of her new friends about it. They wouldn't understand and they might blame Jecht for things that he hadn't done. Rikku wasn't even sure why that was a problem, he was an 'enemy' after all.

Amy was still looking at her. "Afraid?" she asked incredulously. Then she shrugged. "Maybe he's got some kind of new trick up his sleeve," she muttered.

Rikku said nothing, already aware of Amy's habit for pointing the finger at Jecht for whatever reason possible.

.

As night fell over Mobius and the two friends went to their beds, Amy fell asleep instantly. Rikku lay still in silence, her ears twitching occasionally at the gentle rustling of trees outside. She called Amy's name once or twice but the pink hedgehog had floated into slumber as soon as she'd hit the mattress. Rikku sighed. For some reason she couldn't get Jecht out of her mind. She twisted and turned but she couldn't seem to get comfortable, either. What was it about him? True, he was rather good-looking, with gorgeous lilac eyes and long, untamed quills, but something else attracted her as well. It was as if she'd seen into his soul and now the memory had infected her mind.

.

He'd been fierce, brave and frightening, and then in seconds, he was vulnerable and afraid of the chemistry created from a single touch. He seemed to have understood it briefly, and then he'd been even more scared of his suspicions. And then he'd mentioned that legend. Rikku had heard the term before but she didn't really know what it meant. Words were strange and unpredictable things, she thought. They could state one thing and mean another, depending on what light you saw them in. Who knew what _anything_ meant, really? She turned over yet again, closing her eyes. After letting her mind flow naturally for a few minutes, she was finally able to fall asleep, unaware of the events that the next day would hold.

.

Rikku was awoken almost as soon as the sun rose, as Amy insisted on waking her up. "Ergh... Amy," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Come on! Up!" was her reply.

"Why?"

"Because we're going shopping with Rouge," Amy announced.

Rikku let out a muffled sigh and hauled herself up, with the help of her friend. "It's still early!" she protested.

Amy let out a puff of air, ruffling her bang quills. "The early bird catches the worm! Besides, you don't want to be stuck in here all day, do you? We need to go and be active!"

Rikku gave her a sceptical look. "That's Sonic talking through you, isn't it?"

They laughed as they got ready to go out, for which Rikku didn't take long. Amy took slightly longer but they were soon finished as Rouge arrived and they set out together.

.

They looked through several shops, as most people do, trying on new outfits and larking about in the changing rooms. Rikku found herself getting to know Rouge a little better. She liked the ivory bat, Rouge was stylish and although she seemed materialistic, she was caring as well. And then there was Amy, with whom Rikku was already very close. She was bubbly and cheerful and always romanticising, which was quite amusing at times. Rikku smiled at her two friends. She felt so at home with them, with all of them, but she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. She brushed it aside, enjoying herself with the bat and the hedgehog.

They trundled through the shopping centre for hours, until Amy slowed down as her phone rang. She answered it, briefly confused by the caller ID, seeing as it was her own home. But then she remembered, she'd given Sonic a spare key and so it must be him. "Hello?" she smiled, pleased to hear her boyfriend's voice.

.

"Hey, Amy."

There was a pause as Sonic let out a nervous laugh. "Urh, you remember when you made me that pie and you were at Tails' place to give it to me?"

Amy's burrow frowned slightly, wondering where the conversation was going. "Yeah."

"Well I was trying to do that for you. I was making you this cakey thing but it didn't go as I would have liked."

Amy stopped and frowned. She could imagine Sonic on the other line, no doubt doing his typical nervous moves of itching his head and shifting his feet. "What happened?" she demanded.

"Well... how do you feel about not having an oven for a while?"

"_What_?"

Another anxious laugh from Sonic. "I sort of blew it up."

Rouge and Rikku looked at other, and then back at Amy. The half of the conversation that they heard sounded rather odd and definitely not good.

Amy was slightly behind them, yelling, "Sonic the Hedgehog! If I have no kitchen left I will hammer you _so hard_ that you'll end up in the next _timeline_! You'd better fix it before I get back or you are in _trouble_!"

The feline and the bat tensed as their friend hung up and stormed over to them.

"I need to go. Sonic may have just destroyed my house," she said crossly.

The other two nodded as she ran off.

.

Rouge chuckled. "What did I tell you? They're acting like a married couple already," she laughed. "Sorry but it's time for me head off, too. I've got a certain knucklehead that I should be bothering by now." She winked.

Rikku laughed and nodded again. "Alright. See you later, Rouge."

"Later."

Rikku smiled as she watched her flying friend take to the skies, leaving a small shadow on the ground as she flew. The purple cat contemplated her environment. She had no other plans for the day so she decided to explore the town and find out more about it. Naturally she'd been curious about her new _home_ town, because as Amy had been quick to remind her, this was her home now. She walked through the pleasant streets with a distant smile, her thoughts roaming on nothing in particular. She wandered aimlessly until she happened across some kind of wildlife reserve.

.

It was a natural, grassy area, and it was incredibly similar to where Amy had first found her. In fact, it was the same place, she was sure. Her interest brought her further onto the field, staring at the tall range of mountains that skimmed the horizon. It was breathtaking, and she found herself staring at the rocky peaks. She stayed in that same position for a while, mesmerised. The cloudy mists that hung loosely in the air entranced her. She stepped backwards in awe, only to feel something under her foot.

Somebody else's foot.

She spun round. "I'm sorry, I wasn't-" She stopped dead as she realised who was standing behind her. As she swivelled to fully face the other way, she found herself face to face and incredibly close to Jecht the Hedgehog.

* * *

**Ooohh :P What's gonna happen?  
By the way, I've changed my profile picture to Jecht so that you guys can see what he looks like ^_^ PM me and tell me what you think ;) I might eventually change it to Rikku, when/if I draw a picture of her.  
And another thing, Rikku's name is inspired from Final Fantasy X, but if you haven't played it, her name is pronounced _Ree-koo_. Don't even ask me to pronounce Jecht, I still can't quite do it right :P Just take a look at the game on youtube, if you want to know.**

**Reviews are appreciated. :)**


	4. Enemy

**I'm sorry it took a while, but I'm back at school and it's a little hectic 'cause it's being rebuilt and there's a new lesson structure etc... you don't care, I know ;)  
Thank you to _silverdawn2010, OddSakura, TrumpetGirl818 _and _SugarhogRose _for reviewing the last chapter :)  
So, here's chapter 4...**

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**Chapter 4 - Enemy**

Rikku said nothing as she regarded the hedgehog in front of her. They stared at each other, before Jecht realised how close they were and he stepped back quickly, a blush appearing on his face. He tried to cover it by scanning her with a raised eyebrow, trying to look scornful. Rikku found herself fiddling with her tail, her fingers running up and down her silky fur. "Hello," she said finally.

Jecht grunted as if she'd just told him that she was crazy. "_Hello?_ What do you mean, 'Hello'?"

"Hello, as in 'Hi'," she laughed.

He stared at her as if it was unusual to be cheerful.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrow higher, his lips forming a thin line. "You really don't get it, do you?" he said plainly. "We're enemies. We should be jumping into battle as soon as we see each other."

"So then why didn't you attack me? I was standing there for a while."

She'd gotten him on that one. He looked stumped for a moment but shrugged. "I don't have the time for that kind of stuff today," he said casually.

.

"How come? You're busy, huh? Some kind of errand to run, or-"

"Are you trying to interrogate me?" His eyes narrowed. Jecht just couldn't understand her. She was talking to him as if they were old friends. Maybe she was insane.

Rikku laughed. "No, I was just... getting to know you, I suppose."

Jecht's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. Yes, she was insane. "Getting to _know_ me? What is there to know? We're _enemies_, foes, rivals, whatever!" he huffed. It wasn't like himself to be defensive, he knew. It seemed to be the effect she had on him. He felt almost a little threatened by her in some sense, although it was plain that she was no fighter.

"I just thought that we should know a little more about each other, I guess," she said.

"I'll give you a whole fact file then, shall I? My name's Jecht, I'm a hedgehog, my feet are size nine and my tongue is four inches long. Is that good enough for you?" he said acerbically.

She burst into laughter at his sudden declaration, covering her mouth to muffle the giggles. "Okay," she chortled once she'd recovered. "My name's Rikku, I'm a cat, my feet are size seven and _wow_ you have a long tongue!" Another titter escaped her lips. "I have no idea how long mine is; I don't usually measure stuff like that."

Jecht felt his cheeks becoming hot, but he felt strangely relaxed. Rikku was laid-back and open-minded, without being cynical, unlike himself. He glanced at his shoes. Perhaps he felt a little awkward and inexperienced while talking to somebody like this, but it was alright.

.

Alarm bells suddenly rang in his mind. Of course, he couldn't think like that! He had a job to do, and she was on an opposite side of duty. He glared at her. "I have better things to do than hang around here," he said quickly, and with that he ran into the trees. His heart was already pounding before he started to run. He didn't glance back; he didn't dare to in case she saw him. Jecht wasn't stupid. He knew that he was intelligent but in all his life he'd never come across this feeling before. It was... odd. It had hints of fear, excitement and joy, and then something else that he couldn't put his finger on. It made him curious, yes, but he mostly afraid of it. He felt extremely intimidated by it and the way that it _manipulated_ him. He seemed to lose all form of self control and he was forced to release the straps that held down his emotions and kept them safely harnessed. This new feeling completely destroyed his confidence and left him unsure and also – as had been proven that day – defensive.

.

He slowed his feet to a walking rhythm, convinced that he was far enough away from her. Although, it wouldn't have made much of a difference when he'd stopped running because he'd reached Eggman's base already. He sighed – from relief, he told himself – and swiped his ID card through the entrance, allowing him access and alerting his boss of his presence. As soon as the huge metal doors closed behind him with a clang, Dr. Eggman appeared in front of him.

"Jecht, what did you find?" he said.

Jecht swallowed, wanting to hit himself for being so idiotic. It had completely slipped his mind that he was supposed to be on the lookout for Sonic and his team, searching for signs of another infiltration of the base. He gazed at the man in front of him, who was expecting a reply. Jecht didn't actually fail his little task, he had spoken to one of the 'Sonic Team' after all, but something inside of him protested against telling the doctor about Rikku. In truth, every bit of conscience that he had was telling him not to. He didn't know why, but it wasn't important, he decided. Rikku was his enemy, nothing more than that and Dr. Eggman was his boss, so he needed to know or Jecht would be in trouble.

The green hedgehog cleared his throat. "I didn't come across any threats, sir, but I did manage to speak to one of them. Rikku," he added.

.

To Jecht's surprise, Dr. Eggman glared at him. The scientist stared down at his employee angrily. "You spoke to her, the new one, and she was unprotected?" he growled.

Jecht blinked. "Well, yes."

"You fool! Why didn't you capture her?" he demanded.

"I- I didn't realise that you wanted me to do that, sir, I-"

"Didn't realise?" Dr. Eggman thundered. "You should have known that, you hopeless hedgehog!" He clenched his fists. "Rikku is new and so she's vulnerable. Let me make this crystal clear: the next time you lay your eyes on her, I want you to take her prisoner and bring her here, is that understood?"

Jecht was stunned for a moment. Why had Dr. Eggman's words made him feel so worried and hesitant? He shrugged it off, refocusing himself. "Yes, doctor," he said firmly. The human dismissed him, and Jecht walked out, sighing roughly. He passed the constructions room as he paced down the corridors and he briefly looked inside as he passed. Dr. Eggman kept his current work in progress in that room. He'd found his former robot, Metal Sonic, in a state of terrible damage somewhere else on the planet, he wouldn't tell Jecht where. He'd managed to repair most of it, and was now updating it with stronger software to ensure that it did not rebel and new abilities were also added. But it was still somewhat damaged and had been rendered as 'inefficient for combat'.

.

Jecht wasn't sure what to make of the new recruit. It was a robot: a lifeless, metal pile of junk. It was definitely _not_ to replace Jecht, the hedgehog knew. But he felt slightly concerned at just how powerful it would be. Apparently it would have heat-sensing abilities and some kind of life-wave detector, whatever that was. But then again, if it was not meant for fighting – yet – then what harm could it do?

Dr. Eggman had made it clear that he wasn't actually attempting to make an attack on the city anytime soon, he hadn't done in months, but Jecht supposed that he was going to send Metal Sonic on a trial run in some way. Still, as if that crazy thing wasn't enough, Dr. Eggman was also working on that cannon that was in the main hangar, the one that Sonic had called an 'Eclipse Cannon'. Jecht wondered what that was, but the doctor was quick to point out that it was not the same. It was to be used for destruction of small amounts but with big results, he'd said. Jecht hadn't been too enthusiastic. He didn't approve of all of these new machines and robots; he found it getting to him in some way. It made everything seem so much more serious, and he was sure that Dr. Eggman's approaches were changing. He was becoming far more violent and reckless, although Jecht wouldn't dare to comment, of course.

.

He shook his head and turned towards his own, undersized sector of the station. He drew his fingers through his bang quills as he walked, taking one or two deep breaths.

I need to calm down. Why the hell am I so worked up about this?

He sat down on his stiff mattress and rested his chin on his fist, staring at a mark on his shoe without really seeing it. His mind was clouded with reflections of the past two days, and thoughts of the next few days. What if Dr. Eggman fired him because Metal Sonic could be better? What would happen to him then? What if he saw Rikku again? Supposing he had to capture her? What if that connection was brought up again? What if she got hurt?

Jecht punched the bed in frustration. "I don't care if she gets hurt!" he muttered forcefully. "I don't care! It's not my problem!" He sighed in exasperation. "Why do I keeping thinking about this?"

.

That link between them must have been something to do with her! Maybe she had psychic abilities and she was trying to make him believe that it was 'The Legend of the Soulmates', which it _wasn't_, he reminded himself. It must have messed with his mind; that seemed like the only reason that he would be thinking about these sorts of things. But he wouldn't let himself think this way, he wouldn't. Jecht glanced around the room, knowing that it was late. He swung his legs up and laid down properly on the bed, deciding to try and sleep. There was no use in worrying. Besides, he might not even see Rikku again. Although, try as he might, he couldn't sleep with her face invading his mind. He gritted his teeth, trying to force his mind blank. Unknown to him, Rikku had been having the same problem the night before, as well as the current time.

* * *

**So Metal Sonic is back but please don't get too excited, he's there as another employee for Eggman with special abilities, nothing more, sorry. You'll see what I mean...  
Also, I wasn't sure about shoe sizes, maybe they should've been bigger because, as you know, Sonic characters have big feet :P I dunno...  
Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please bear in mind that updates will be slower :( Thank you  
Reviews are appreciated!  
**


	5. Perplexity Pain

**Thank you, _silverdawn2010, OddSakura, SugarhogRose _and _IHeartSonAmy _for reviewing! So, will Jecht see Rikku and will he capture her?**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 5 - Perplexity Pain

"Remember what I told you yesterday."

"Yes, Doctor," Jecht said, his expression unreadable. He turned away from his boss and left the base, slightly more downcast that usual. He was finding it tough to accept that he had been _ordered_ to capture Rikku. He knew it all too well, but every nerve inside of him was trying to resist the command as if it was... wrong. His eyes lingered on the grass below his striding feet as it passed beneath him.

It's _not wrong_, he thought, annoyed with himself. It's doing my job. It's what I'm _supposed_ to do. There is nothing wrong with carrying out orders, and she's an _enemy._

Jecht slowly lifted his head to view the path ahead as he left the dense foliage of the forest and entered the clear skies of Silver Valley. Realising that he'd come to the same place that he'd met Rikku the day before, he instantly felt uncomfortable and glanced around the landscape, alert for even the briefest glint of lilac.

.

Jecht breathed a small sigh of relief, and then mentally scolded himself for it. He shouldn't have been relieved! He had a task to do; it was a good thing if he saw her! He stared at the ground. Still, he had valid reasons, right? She wasn't out-rightly dangerous, but there was definitely something different about her. She created an alien feeling inside of him, which could only be defined as some form of powerful bewitchment, or some kind of voodoo like that. Whatever it was, Jecht thought, it was not normal. It was almost like a corruption, and he didn't like it one bit. He glanced up again, and a gasp was caught in his throat, his alarm preventing it from escaping.

.

Rikku had emerged from the trees, seemingly in a relaxed mood as she walked across the grass, smiling at the beautiful environment. Jecht didn't know what to do. Part of his mind was a mess of panic and was shouting, "She's here! Rikku's here! What do I do?" The other part – the smaller part – was ordering himself to do his duty. For the first time in his employment with Dr. Eggman, Jecht made an impulsive decision that didn't aid his career in the slightest. He ran into the slightly more populated area of the grasslands, where a few people wandered around and several benches were dotted along the gritty, sandy-coloured paths. He peeped over his shoulder to see that she was a short distance behind him, wandering in the same direction. She hadn't seen him yet, thankfully. He decided against running, instead looking for a place out of sight.

.

Seeing nowhere to hide, he raced to an empty, wooden bench and sat on it, grabbing the newspaper that had been abandoned beside him. He opened it as widely as it would extend and held it high in front of his face. He glanced upwards, praying that Rikku wouldn't notice him and would walk straight past. A small fraction of him was fuming, screeching at himself and giving the general message of, 'What the hell are you doing!'

It's probably the sane part, he thought dimly. Oh man, what _am_ I doing?

He was distantly aware that he was avoiding the light purple cat, but he didn't dare venture into the reasons why. As a substitute, he told himself that he just didn't have the energy to go around imprisoning people today. Besides, if he didn't see her, he couldn't capture her; that made sense, didn't it?

Even though I've already seen her... But that doesn't count unless she sees me, too – at the same time!

He sat perfectly still, trying not to attract attention to himself. His ears were pricked up as high as possible, sensing every crunch of a footstep, every chirping sound from the birds.

.

After a short while, he smirked. She must have walked past him by that point, surely.

"Jecht?"

Damn. Jecht grimaced but even then he didn't move. Perhaps she'd think she was mistaken. He listened as Rikku could be heard walking closer to him. He clenched the newspaper tighter as apprehension ran through his veins.

No, he thought desperately. No, go away.

There was a pause. Jecht relaxed a little. Maybe she was gone?

"Jecht."

Or maybe not.

"Jecht, that is you, isn't it?"

The green hedgehog kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer. He was keeping his gaze locked on the headlines of the paper, without reading them. He focused entirely on the black letters as if to block out her soft voice.

.

Rikku looked intently at the hedgehog before her. What was he doing? She'd almost walked past without noticing him but her eyes were drawn to his green legs beneath the huge paper spread out in his gloved hands. She couldn't be sure that it was him at first, but when she'd called his name the figure had stiffened and she'd known immediately. It was such a small movement that it was a miracle she'd picked it up.

I never knew I was that observant, she thought.

She wondered if Jecht was ignoring her. He was really was difficult to understand; he was talking yesterday – if a little defensively – and now he wasn't speaking at all. She tried again.

.

"Hello? Jecht!" He made her feel somewhat nervous, even now, but it faded every time she saw him. He seemed a lot more... vulnerable to her since she'd first met him. His defensiveness had been the strongest sign. It was as if he was trying to shield himself and she could see it clearly. There was definitely something weird about him, but it made her all the more interested. She found herself becoming increasingly curious about him, and she felt an odd attraction to be close to him, as well.

There was still no reply from the green male so she pulled his newspaper down to see his face. His eyes shut instantly, before she could even lay eyes on his lilac orbs. She couldn't help giggling at his eyelids that were clamped shut. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Jecht kept his eyes closed fiercely. He turned his head away from her voice. She moved over to face him and he turned in the opposite direction again. He frowned with his eyes still shut, preventing himself from meeting her gaze. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to read the paper," he said sharply.

Rikku raised an eyebrow and smiled. "How can you read it without opening your eyes?"

.

The male finally opened his eyes but made sure that he was looking at the ground and not her.

"Why won't you look at me?" she asked softly. Her voice was curious, not demanding.

Jecht clenched his fists and dropped the paper. He stood up fully to match her level; his head at a slightly higher point that hers. His expression was drawn into a frown in his attempt to be as menacing as he had been on the first day that he'd met her. "You really want to know?" he growled. "Well here it is. I've been instructed to capture you the next time that I see you and to bring you back to Dr. Eggman. Something tells me that you wouldn't like that so I'd stay away from me if I were you." He received the reaction that he'd hoped for, as she blinked at him in shock. But it was gone as her eyes took on a new light of interest.

"So why didn't you capture me just then?"

Jecht glared at her. Why did this girl have to ask such irritating questions that he couldn't answer? "Because it's like I said yesterday: I have other things to do."

.

Rikku was genuinely bewildered. "So... Dr. Eggman ordered you to kidnap me and you haven't," she said slowly.

He glanced at her as if it had only just dawned on him. "Yeah..." he said.

Her eyes shone and for the first time she smiled at him brightly. "There is some good in you then," she declared.

Jecht looked horrified. "No! I'm just not in the mood for errands like that right now. _And_," he added, suddenly thinking of something, "You're obviously a weak fighter so it's only fair to give you a little chance." His eyes narrowed and he finally managed to regain his threatening look. Before she could argue he carried on. "So this is your chance. You're escaping this one time but if you ever come near me again," he kept his eyes on hers, "I _will_ capture you. Stay out of my way if you don't want to get hurt. Just keep as far away from me as you can and maybe you'll be alright," he hissed. He knew that he'd succeeded in his little speech as she regarded him closely, her eyes wide as they were the first time they'd met.

But to his surprise, she shook her head. "You aren't like that."

Jecht felt even more agitated. "Yes, I _am_, and that won't change. Just remember, stay _out_ of my way," he said again, before turning and running back into the forest for the second time.

.

While that particular, strange conversation was going on, another was taking place in between two hedgehogs: one pink and one blue. They smiled at each other as they walked down the path, hand in hand. Amy found it impossible _not_ to smile with Sonic beside her. She squeezed his hand for the hundredth time and he returned it, laughing softly. They pried their gazes away from each other and gasped as they suddenly noticed a familiar, green hedgehog striding away from their new, purple friend. They rushed over to Rikku, unable to understand what had happened. Amy was the first to reach her, a surprising feat given that Sonic was beside the pink hedgehog and just happened to be the fastest thing alive. Amy touched Rikku's arm, her eyes wide. "What just happened? Did Jecht threaten you or something?"

Sonic joined in. "Has he been messing with you?"

Rikku looked shocked to see the two hedgehogs next to her, taken aback by their questions being fired at her. She slowly shook her head, still in a daze. "I... well – sort of."

Amy frowned. "Yeah, well he'll pay for that," she said, suddenly glaring at the spot where Jecht had disappeared into the trees.

.

Rikku felt somewhat alarmed by that. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, exactly," she said, earning a raised eyebrow from Amy. "Really, it was probably just empty words. He honestly isn't that scary, don't worry," she insisted.

Amy put her hands on her hips. "Don't let him fool you, Rikku!" She looked at Sonic, clearly waiting for him to back her up, which he hastily did.

"It is true, you know," he said, nodding. "He's not exactly trustworthy."

Rikku said nothing and shrugged, hoping that it was enough of an acknowledgement. It sufficed, and they turned back towards the town in a quiet ambience, Rikku not wanting to talk about Jecht in front of them. She looked over her two friends, noticing a white, wild flower in Amy's quills, held in place by her headband. She decided to use that as a conversation 'base', hoping to soften the silence. "New hair accessory?" she asked, pointing to it.

Amy beamed. "Sonic gave it to me," she said, causing the cobalt male to blush as he looked at his sneakers with a bashful grin.

Rikku giggled as she regarded the couple. "You two are so sweet together," she said.

"I know," grinned Amy, and Sonic chuckled.

.

About a mile away from them, hidden deep within the woodland, Jecht had walked back to Eggman's base to report back to him for the second time running. He kept his gaze down as he stood in front of the evil scientist, praying that the large human wouldn't notice how nervous he was. He clenched and unclenched his fists as his boss asked him what he'd found from the day. "I... I- there was nothing today, Doctor," he said.

Dr. Eggman frowned. "Jecht," he said.

Jecht looked up.

"You saw her again didn't you?" Eggman demanded. His voice was icy and sharp, and it was giving off nothing but a menacing aura.

Jecht felt small shivers of anxiety. He looked up again, his eyes wide. "I- I..."

Dr. Eggman sent him a glower so harsh it could've unnerved even the toughest of fighters. "Jecht," he said again, through his teeth. "Did I not make myself perfectly clear when I instructed you to capture her?"

"W- Well yeah, but-"

"I don't want your excuses!" Eggman roared. Then he lowered his voice again, his brow still channelled downwards.

.

"It seems that you are clearly incapable of completing a simple task by yourself, so tomorrow you will go with Metal Sonic on his first test run. You'll go back to Silver Valley again, and you'll both search the area for any signs of the Sonic Team. When you see her, you _will_ capture her. Metal Sonic will be watching you, so I wouldn't make any mistakes. I said it before, Jecht, and I'll say it again. This is your last chance. Do _not_ fail me," he hissed, "Or the consequences will be severe."

Jecht nodded, swallowing. In the time that he'd worked for Dr. Eggman, the hedgehog had noticed the scientist change. Eggman had lost any patience that he'd once had, and Jecht knew that his career was hanging by a thread. He couldn't afford to take chances anymore. It was a little difficult to comprehend but it was vital that he carried out his next task with Metal Sonic. If he didn't, then...

.

Jecht didn't know what would happen if he didn't but he knew that it would be awful. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he'd admitted to being slightly concerned for Rikku's safety – for whatever reason. He still didn't recognise what could've been fuelling his worry, but he was sure that it was related to that foreign sensation that she gave him. He was so unsettled by the feeling that he tried to take no notice of it. He somehow managed to ignore _why_ he felt the need to make sure that Rikku was alright, and instead focused on making sure that she was. Although, he didn't know whether that would be possible for much longer. Still, he reminded himself as he returned to his section of the base, he had given her warning. Surely she knew not to approach him?

Besides, he thought, I probably won't even see her tomorrow. I mean – what are the chances that she'd show up in the same place for the third time in a row? They always say 'Third time lucky', so she wouldn't be there. No, it'll be okay. Who knows – I might not ever see her again at all.

He couldn't ignore the small wave of sadness at that thought, and he was instantly panicked at his feelings. Wasn't it unnatural to feel these things? He'd never known this emotion before and he hated it, as he hated to be confused of anything. It must've made him seem so _weak_.

.

Jecht had known from his childhood that powerful emotions like these were to be feared. They created nothing but destruction and they'd take over your life if you didn't watch out. Perhaps that was one thing that his cruel, early life had taught him. So it had been painful, yes, but from it he'd become skilled at veiling his sentiments, or ignoring them completely to the point where they didn't exist in his mind.

He shook his head as if to shake off the troubles that clung to his thoughts. He brushed them aside, trying desperately not to fret.

Everything will be fine, he told himself. There's nothing to worry about.

* * *

**Oh contraire, mon petite herisson! :P So... third time lucky, or third time not-so-lucky-oh-damn-jecht-has-to-kidnap-Rikku? We will see :D**

**Another big thanks for reading and reviewing, guys. I'm still surprised that you're bothering to read it, but thank you so much for putting up with it. :)  
And don't worry, this will be my one and ONLY OC fic, the rest will be pure canon. So deal with Sinister Soulmates and then everything will be hunky dorey! :D Thank yooooou!**


	6. MindBlow

**Longest update, I know, I know, I'm sorry. :( But go talk to my teachers about homework loads if you want faster updates :P Thank you, _silverdawn2010, TrumpetGirl818, SugarhogRose, OddSakura _and_ IHeartSonAmy _for your reviews. I won't delay you any longer, hopefully this chapter isn't too confusing...

* * *

**

Chapter 6 – Mind-Blow

Metal Sonic stood tall beside Jecht, his blood red eyes shifting mechanically. "Mission objective – obtain feline known as Rikku," he announced in a metallic voice.

Jecht almost jumped. "You can talk?" he cried.

"Affirmative."

Jecht just shook his head. He'd only recently been told of Metal's confirmed abilities for heat-sensing, but now the thing could talk? Jecht didn't like it. The robot was creepy, to say the least. But whether Jecht agreed with the idea or not, several things were now clear to him. Metal Sonic was a highly intelligent robot, and would not leave any blind spots for mistakes from Jecht. Plus, it seemed that Dr. Eggman was losing his trust in Jecht. The green hedgehog didn't like to think about it, but it did look that way.

He stared at his environment as if to tune back into an alert state. He needed to be attentive just in case Rikku showed up. It was unlikely, he hoped, but that didn't render it impossible. His eyes darted over the trees, dreading a potential cat from emerging. Every single footstep that reached his ears caused him to whip round, survey an area, before another part would grab his attention. He sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

There's a word for this. Paranoia.

He shook his head again. His worrying was virtually pointless, wasn't it? It wouldn't change anything and he had no reason for concern at all, so he told himself.

.

Jecht glanced at his chrome watch, full of subtle devices hidden from view. But his only interest was the time and how quickly it would pass. Late afternoon. People would start to leave soon, surely? So there was absolutely, positively no reason to worry about anything.

Except the fact that a familiar purple cat was wandering around a few metres away from him, separated by nothing but the air between them. His eyes shot open. How had he missed that? He'd been watching the reserve so carefully...

Jecht knew that his face had probably paled slightly. He gritted his teeth, watching Metal Sonic, who hadn't seemed to have noticed just yet. He tried desperately not to react but prayed that Rikku would get _out_ of there! What was she doing anyway? The lilac cat seemed distracted by thought – she nearly always did – and her expression was serene, until she finally saw Jecht.

.

She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced as Jecht shook his head, trying to inject every ounce of his intimidation into it. His mouth was turned downwards into a grimace, as he tilted his head back towards Metal, signalling to Rikku that he was dangerous. He couldn't be sure if his gesture was foreboding or not; his mind was fogged with apprehension. Rikku looked confused, to his dismay, as she glanced between Jecht and Metal. A sudden light of understanding dawned on her face – a moment too late.

Metal Sonic turned around before she had a chance to react. He instantly scanned her and with an odd, tinny-sounding roar, advanced on her, his motors whirring as they rushed into action. Jecht acted quickly and jumped in front of the robot, blocking him. Metal Sonic glared icily at him and he held up his hands. "I can handle this one," he said.

"But you are incapable-"

"Just let me prove myself!" Jecht insisted. He rushed ahead of his comrade and towards Rikku. Obviously, it hadn't been his plan to take her hostage at all, he wasn't comfortable with it either but he knew that if Metal did, she'd easily be hurt. At least if Jecht did it then he could do it without harming her.

.

Rikku stared as Jecht ran towards her. She knew that he had no intention of helping her at all. He'd warned her and now he was carrying out his threat. He was going to kidnap her. Her legs finally moved as she twisted away from him and ran. Adrenaline throbbed inside of her, like the thumping of her heart as it tried to keep up with her feet. A sickening feeling of déjà vu entered her mind, as she realised how familiar the scene was. But this time, if he caught her it would be the end of everything. After the way she'd seen Dr. Eggman destroy her town like that, it was evident that he was merciless. She ran harder. She could hear Jecht's footsteps behind her and she glanced backwards. He was gaining on her, with the robot not far behind. Rikku had never seen such a thing but it looked terrifying and was clearly evil. She willed her legs to go faster and kept going even as she suddenly left the cover of the trees. The hedgehog and the cat were now in the open, Rikku blindly running in any direction of escape with the robotic creature out of sight. It must have been held back somehow but she ignored it and focused on getting away.

.

Her attempts to flee led her to the beginnings of an enormous, stony hill that could easily be mistaken as a mountain. The slope that led upwards was steep and uneven, and the drop below it was crammed with huge, sharp rocks. Rikku ignored the danger and her instincts guided her up the hill, occasionally loosing her footing and then forcing herself to run faster. Her fear had been dragged up all over again. But it wasn't a fear of Jecht himself; it was what would happen to her if she was caught. The terrifying thoughts in her mind only urged her to go faster. She was so desperate to get away that she almost didn't notice the scratching sound of Jecht's shoes as he slipped behind her.

A loud cry pierced the air. She stopped, wondering for a brief moment if she herself had made the sound. She whipped round to face Jecht, only to see him hanging off the rim of the rocky ledge, clinging on desperately with his fingers. He grunted as he tried to haul himself back up, but to no avail. His legs thrashed as he desperately grabbed the rock but his fingers were slipping.

.

Rikku gasped and rushed back, holding out her hand to him. He grabbed it firmly, ignoring the crackling sensation from their contact. She gripped his arm, slowly lifting him back onto the mount. He wasn't heavy, but Rikku wasn't the strongest person and she gritted her teeth with the effort of hauling him up. She tensed her arms and tugged, gradually shifting backwards as he was finally able to clamber back up. They collapsed on the ground, panting. Jecht's eyes were wide as he realised how closely he had escaped death. Although he hadn't really _escaped_, she had saved him, he realised. He stared at her.

"Y-you just saved my life," he said slowly.

Rikku smiled. Jecht was taken aback at her courage. She'd rescued him instantly, not even considering her actions. He just couldn't come to terms with it.

"Why?" he said, his voice almost a whisper.

Rikku now mirrored his expression as she scanned his lilac orbs. "Why wouldn't I?" she said. "It was the right thing to do, and I wasn't just going to let you die." She decided to leave out the other reason that gently stroked her conscience.

.

Jecht watched her, and both lime and lilac eyes searched each other intensely. They were on opposing sides and she risked her life to save his. Was it something to do with his own need to keep her unharmed? Would he have done the same for her? He finally broke the gaze as he looked across the landscape below them, contemplating his own potential decisions if the situation had been reversed. His baffled state of enchantment was broken as he suddenly noticed the trees below them ruffling furiously.

Metal Sonic.

Jecht knew what would happen if Metal Sonic saw the hedgehog and the cat now. He turned back to her, and his tone became rougher and more urgent. "Alright. You saved my life so I owe you," he stated. He pushed himself onto his feet. "I'll hide you. Come on, before Metal Sonic gets here!" he breathed. He quickly held out his hand, as she had done for him only moments ago, and she placed her own onto his palm, still in a slight trance.

.

He pulled her up and within seconds he started running up the slope again and into yet another layer of trees ahead. Even through her fear, Rikku was still somewhat giddy from the feel of his hand wrapped firmly around hers. Was it her imagination or was his grip almost protective?

The sun was partially blocked as they ran through the woods, twigs snapping under their feet. Jecht would occasionally pause at a tree, look at it, and race over to another. He suddenly found what he was looking for – a hollow trunk. He ushered her inside before climbing in himself, squeezing in between the layers of bark. It was only when he looked at her when he realised how cramped it was inside, and consequently, how close their faces were. Rikku's tail brushed against the inside of the tree as she looked straight back at him, confused.

"Why are we inside a-" She was unable to finish her sentence as Jecht hurriedly put his hand over her mouth.

"Ssh!" he hissed. He hesitated before lifting his hand away again, and jerking a thumb towards the outside.

.

They peered through a crack in the bark, to see Metal Sonic not far away from them, twisting around in search. They stiffened as the robot froze as if listening. He lifted his head to the skies, and his eyes started glowing, drifting in and out of brightness. Rikku gaped at the creature, frightened of its stone cold gaze.

"What's it doing?" she whispered to Jecht, her voice almost inaudible.

"Using his heat sensor," he replied softly. "He can detect the warmth from a living creature from miles away. That's why we're in here. The natural growth of the tree should scramble the heat waves that he'd be receiving," he explained.

Rikku nodded, but stayed motionless as they watched Metal Sonic continue his search, darting in and out of trees. He eventually seemed out of sight and she sighed with relief.

"That was creepy," she admitted, earning a sceptical look from Jecht, though it was clear that he agreed since he didn't answer with a cynical comment as he usually would.

.

They turned back to face each other again, and they were both greeted with the same intimate distance between them. Jecht shifted his feet uncomfortably, struggling not to stare into Rikku's eyes. It was odd, he mused, but he'd never really noticed them like this before. He'd taken them in when they'd first met but it was different when they were now so close. He'd never seen so many different shades of green and all of them blended perfectly to compliment her beautiful lilac fur. Jecht found himself being drawn into those orbs of hers, spellbound by them. It took him a second before he realised that he was leaning closer to her and a part of him panicked.

_No, what are you doing?_ His mind shrieked. _Stop it! Get out of there! Get out of there _now_!_

But Jecht couldn't move if he'd tried. It was as if he'd been paralysed, but bewitched at the same time. Because, whether he liked it or not, he had a strong desire to be close to her, to hold her.

.

She was just so unlike anybody he'd ever met. She was courageous and kind-hearted, and she saved his life because she felt that it was right. Jecht had even admitted it to himself, he admired this girl. He hadn't admired anybody at all until she came into his life, but she was amazing through his eyes. That connection between them was gently throbbing in the air, waiting to be fully uncovered when they came into contact with each other. It was pulling him in towards her, like a dog being dragged unwillingly to his master.

.

Jecht felt almost as if he was being drawn away from rationality and all things that made sense in his world, and he fought it.

No! he thought desperately. No, I'm not going to let myself get into this! I don't care about her!

He was slowly leaning closer.

Rikku looked just as captivated as he did, and he suddenly became aware that she was being drawn in as well, but she wasn't afraid, not like he was. Instead she was embracing it, without doubting it in the slightest. Jecht was mentally struggling to break the link or cut it off somehow.

No! he thought again. This doesn't mean anything to me! This isn't-

.

Jecht's mind was completely wiped of thought as his lips suddenly found hers. The connection was ignited again, sending fiery crackles down their spines. A burst of passion closed any remaining distance between them as they deepened the kiss. Loud warning signs were entering his thoughts, only to be drowned in the pleasant, clouded nothingness that fogged his mind. That voice in the back of his head was protesting loudly, but for once he ignored it. Everything that surrounded the two felt like it was evaporating and leaving only them in the world. Jecht felt his worries slip away and for one small moment if his life he felt perfectly at ease.

.

Rikku was enthralled at the sensations passing between them. Although her eyes were closed, she could see something. It was difficult to comprehend but she just felt a huge sense of... Jecht. It was as if everything that he was was surrounding her. She was walking among his memories, catching glimpses of his childhood. She could see all that he'd ever done, felt or said. It was mind-blowing. She was overwhelmed with his history. A particular memory caught her interest, as she watched what seemed like a live scene of a younger Jecht. He looked about six or seven, she thought, and he was cowering in the corner with tears streaming down his face. Another hedgehog, an adult one, was standing over him and shouting something, his hands clenched into poised fists.

.

"You did this!" the older male roared. "Look at the devastation you've caused! You killed your own mother!"

"But, Dad, I didn't d- do anything!" the little Jecht whimpered. "I- I wasn't there! I thought the doctor said that she was sick!"

"You brought it upon her! The stress of having you around is too much for anybody to bear!"

"I didn't do anything!" Jecht wailed again. He was literally quivering now.

"Your existence was enough already!" his father bellowed. "This is what _you_ have done! This is what you will always do! You're useless!" he spat.

The small Jecht sunk down further in a little huddle on the floor, still facing his father with terror in his eyes. "W- what did I do wrong?" he asked.

The reaction that he received was his father suddenly gaining a new light in his eyes, an aggressive fury that was building by the second. "I'LL TEACH NOT TO DENY YOUR ACTIONS, YOU LITTLE MURDERER!"

The memory was suddenly cut off, covered by a smokescreen. Rikku heard Jecht's voice.

_What the heck are you doing!_

It was him, she knew, but he wasn't speaking, it was in her head. Before she could ponder it any further, he broke away from her, shattering the connection. He was staring at her in horror, shocked at the odd reflections that she'd had inside his mind.

* * *

**So, I hope you liked reading that little taste of Jecht's history! Hopefully you can kinda get the idea of roughly what went on, but there might be a llittle more of that next chapter. And also, did you understand what happened in general? I mean, did you get what happened when Metal saw Rikku and Jecht chased her etc? If you've got any questions feel free to ask. Sorry if it didn't make sense.  
Reviews are great if you can be bothered =)**


	7. Simple as that

**I'm really sorry for the wait, guys! The endless battle against the dark forces behind homework is ongoing, unfortunately =( Thank you, _SugarhogRose, silverdawn2010, OddSakura _and_ IHeartSonAmy_ for your reviews, You lovely readers! :D (Everyone who reads my stories is a lovely reader, says I ;)  
I've added a bit to the Knouge scene...  
Anyway, less talking, more reading ^_^... We've just seen an insight to Jecht's past and he wasn't too happy about it...**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Simple as That**

The hedgehog and the cat shared a look of disbelief. Rikku was taken aback. She'd never considered anything like what she'd seen to happen to Jecht. She'd never thought that something so terrible could happen to anyone; it just wasn't right. She was engulfed in sadness for him. "Jecht..." she whispered sensitively.

His wide eyes now narrowed as he tried to mask his pain and to pull his shields back up around him. "Why did you look at that?" he hissed defensively. "You had no right to see that! Nobody does!"

Rikku's ears lowered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry, but... what happened to you... it's awful," she breathed.

.

Jecht held his icy gaze, but now Rikku could see reflections of a young child in a corner.

He looked through the crack in the tree again, veiling the sting from recovering those memories. Metal Sonic was nowhere to be seen. Good. He turned back to her, suddenly turning brisk and completely detached from any sentiments. "You helped me and I returned that," he said roughly. "Metal Sonic is gone, so you're okay to leave now."

Rikku's tail dangled loosely against her legs. "Jecht," she murmured.

"I _said y_ou're okay to leave now," Jecht growled.

"But you can't just-"

"I don't want your sympathy! What happened is none of your business. Now get out before Metal searches here," he said.

.

The hurt from the exposure of his past was fading, with every ounce being replaced with the reminder of the task at hand. Rikku needed to get out of there. He forced a glare at her, knowing that it would be the only way to make her flee. But to his annoyance, she stayed in her place.

"It's okay to open up," she whispered.

Jecht became even more agitated. "Get _out_ of here, and _out_ of my life," he snarled.

That finally did the job and Rikku looked down. Jecht ignored a stab of guilt as the cat turned to squeeze back out of the hollow trunk. He followed, making sure to keep his glare on his face. Rikku said nothing as she walked away, heading to the edge of the woodland.

.

Jecht watched after her, paying no attention to the jumble of emotions that plagued him. She would be safe now, and it was no business of his anyway. What did he care if anything happened to her? Well, he did, he supposed, but that wasn't important. His fists tensed and relaxed repeatedly as he watched her. She was safe, and yet he couldn't seem to calm down. His adrenaline was still pumping. His pulse was still racing. Something told him that she wasn't entirely out of harm's way.

.

A sudden flash of metallic blue caught his eye, as he saw Metal Sonic return to the scene. Alarm flooded through him as the robot spotted Rikku and pointed a sharp, silver finger at her.

"_Location registered_!" Metal announced. He shot a frosty look at Jecht, signalling for him to get her. All thoughts of Jecht's past were cleared from his mind. In seconds, he realised the situation and shifted his focus to the robot in shock. There was no escaping it now. Jecht knew that he had no choice. Rikku was moving far too slowly to get away, and she hadn't even noticed the robotic hedgehog. He wished that he could warn her, but it was impossible with Metal Sonic there. A hand of remorse tugged at his heart, but he nodded at his comrade.

I'm sorry, Rikku, he thought.

.

He took off towards her. He kept his gaze locked onto her as he ran, waiting for her to hear him. His racing footsteps thumped the ground, gaining on her every second. It was only when he was close to her that she turned around, her ears suddenly erect. But she was too late and there was no chance of getting away. Jecht only just had time to register the sudden flash of fear in her eyes as he lunged forwards, wrapping his arms around her tightly, trapping her. It was almost like an embrace, but an unavoidable one.

.

Rikku instantly understood what was happening and struggled wildly, but Jecht's arms held fast. He kept them tense and strong, seizing her effortlessly but without hurting her. He held her close to him, restricting her movement as she tried in vain to kick him, seeing as her arms were clamped down.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

.

He ignored her cries and walked with her back to Metal Sonic, clouding his expression with an unfathomable look.

"Let me go!" she shrieked again, "Or I'll tell him what you did!"

Jecht was suddenly panicked and he stiffened with Rikku held in his arms. Metal Sonic turned to him, his electronic, red eyes glowing. Jecht tried to look confused.

"I don't know what she's talking about," he said.

Rikku continued to thrash about, praying that someone would help her. "I'll tell him!" she cried. "I'll tell him that you-"

Jecht clamped his hand over her mouth again, feigning bewildered innocence. He couldn't be sure if he was fully off the hook, as Metal Sonic stared at him for a while, observing him. The robot eventually turned around again and began drifting back in the direction of Dr. Eggman's base. Rikku was determined to try and squirm out of Jecht's grasp, but it was useless. Her fear was building with every second, accompanied with the dread of what could happen to her. She tried screaming but her voice was muffled behind Jecht's gloved hand.

"Stop struggling," he whispered in her ear. "You're only making things worse for yourself." His only response was another stifled cry and a few sharp kicks for good measure. He blotted out the pain and forced her through the trees, down a one-way path to the lair of a certain notorious villain.

[***]

Knuckles smirked at Rouge as they soared through the air, side by side. He laughed as he gave her a shove and she returned it, laughing harder. He couldn't even remember how they'd ended up messing about in the night sky but he didn't really care. The past few weeks of their newfound relationship had been some of the best in his life, even if neither of them had really asked each other out. Sonic had told him that if they were holding hands then they were together but Knuckles couldn't be sure. He watched her quietly for a moment, reflecting on all that they'd been through.

.

Their relationship was an odd one, filled with events of the past that made it unpredictable and confusing, and neither the bat nor the echidna quite knew where they stood in each other's lives. At first they were merely rivals, and Knuckles spent a great deal of time protecting the Master Emerald from the likes of her. It had become their own little game. She'd show up randomly and attempt to steal the powerful gem, he'd protect it, they'd fight, and neither would actually win but it would be worth it just for the excitement. Then she'd visited him more often, apparently to 'push a couple of them buttons' and generally irritate him, and it did.

.

But as time went on he couldn't be sure if it was her appearance or the churning sensation in his stomach that annoyed him. Maybe it was the sudden, unexplainable urges to see her whenever she wasn't around. Their fighting had become more and more like flirting and Knuckles was always too caught up in his flushing cheeks to notice. Did she have that same feeling? Did she get that odd tingling sensation when she saw him? Probably not. After all, this was Rouge the Bat. She was known around the city for being a flirty, sassy heart-robber who played with men's emotions. As if she'd wait around for a grumpy hot-head like him.

.

But they'd held hands... They held hands and Rouge spent so much time with him now you'd think she lived there. He observed her face, her teal eyes glazed over. Was she thinking about the same thing? He suddenly looked down again, in fear of her expression. "Rouge..." he said. Knowing that she was now listening, he continued. "What exactly... I mean what do you-"

.

A shrill gasp snapped him out of his speech and he realised that the sound had come from the ivory bat. Before he could ask what was wrong she'd grabbed his arm and pointed towards the ground. He followed her gaze. Below them were three figures, one of them leading with the two behind. Knuckles squinted in effort to recognise the shapes in the night. The following two were green and purple and they seemed familiar. It looked as though the green person – male, he realised – was holding the other firmly. The green male seemed to be forcing the other person towards a vast shape in the darkness, lit only by the stars. It reminded Knuckles of a base or headquarters of some kind, and the three shadows had finally entered, the doors clanging behind them.

.

Knuckles suddenly understood. "That's Rikku and Jecht down there!" he cried.

Rouge nodded anxiously. "I'll bet that's Eggman's hideout," she breathed.

With an outraged growl, Knuckles aimed himself towards the base, preparing to attack. Rouge stopped him still in mid-air and held him back.

"Knuckles! You can't just go down there, guns blazing!" she hissed. "We need a plan!" She then directed her finger at the huge fortress that had now risen from the ground, scattering leaves in miniature tornados.

It floated upwards slowly, the engines underneath it roaring with the sudden force. Several symbols of Dr. Eggman's face were imprinted around the enormous station, taunting the echidna. He glared as it drifted upwards and eventually disappeared above their heads and into the clouds that veiled the night sky.

.

Rouge took his arm, knowing full well of his stubborn nature. "Come on. We need to tell Sonic and the others, _not_ go in there by ourselves," she insisted.

"I don't need Sonic to do something as easy as this," he huffed.

Rouge rolled her eyes and pulled him. "Whatever," she said. She tightened her grip on his arm and flew back to Tails' workshop as fast as she could.

[***]

Dr. Eggman's base was extremely unattractive. Everything inside it was the same – dull, dreary and colourless. But this didn't mean old-fashioned, not in the slightest, for it was impossible to look at any section of the fortress without noticing some form of high-tech equipment, whether it was fixed to the wall or hung from the ceiling. Yet even the machinery was unexciting in appearance, with the only colour being rough grey or chrome. These small details wouldn't usually have troubled Jecht in the slightest, but he was desperate to look at anything besides _her_.

.

Dr. Eggman had instructed him to guard her, and Jecht was mortified. He'd protested instantly, pointing out that surely Metal Sonic should be the sentry, but of course Jecht's views were ignored. He let his eyes slide over a security alarm in the corner of the room, pretending to be interested in it. He knew that the doctor would be pleased with him after the capture, and indeed he was, but it didn't make Jecht feel any happier in the slightest. It was as if he was trying to wipe his mind of troubles, but it was cluttered with guilt. He occasionally dared to steal a glance at Rikku, and was instantly sent a sour glare from her. Neither of them spoke but the tension was enough to make Jecht nervous.

.

Even as he kept his eyes on random objects, he could feel her boring into him, making him shift uncomfortably.

I don't know how much more I can take of this, he thought hopelessly. If she keeps this up I'm going to explode!

He took another glimpse at her and winced as she glowered. "Don't... look at me like that," he said quietly. For a moment he wasn't sure if she would respond at all but her eyes flashed in annoyance.

"Oh I'm _sorry_. After all, _I'm_ the one in the wrong here," she growled.

.

Jecht's ears lowered as each of her words stabbed him liked darts, but he kept an irritated expression on his face. He sighed in frustration. "Look, it wasn't my fault that-"

"Wasn't your fault?" she said. "So I saved your life, you told me that in return you'd save mine, and then instead you _kidnapped_ me. How is that not your fault?" she demanded.

"I didn't _kidnap_ you!" Jecht protested crossly.

"So what would you call it? Abduction? Capture?"

"I gave you the chance to escape and you moved too slowly! It's not my problem that you didn't get away in time!" he cried.

"Yes, Jecht, it _is_ your problem!" Rikku retorted, her voice beginning to break as her angry disguise cracked.

Now that Jecht allowed himself to look at her properly, he could see that the hurt in her eyes was unmistakable. "You said that you'd keep me from harm... but in the end..." She trailed off, frowning at the floor. "I- I just didn't think that I'd end up losing my life like this," she said softly.

.

Jecht couldn't have looked more shocked if he'd tried. He felt his brow lose its crease as he stared at her. "Losing your life? Wha- what are you talking about?" he said, stunned. "Dr. Eggman will figure that you're no use to him and then he'll let you go."

Rikku brought her gaze back to his and let out a gentle but bitter laugh. "You don't even know your own boss, do you?" she said. "Don't you get it? As soon as he realises that I've nothing to offer him, he'll kill me."

Jecht gaped at her. "What... but... that's not..." He shook his head. "That's crazy," he scoffed, regaining his confidence. "Dr. Eggman may be one of the bad guys, but he doesn't _kill_ people. He even saved Sonic's life, once."

"If he never kills then why are the people of my town dead?"

.

Jecht felt his confidence slip all over again. Dr. Eggman had gone somewhere around a week ago to retrieve a Chaos Emerald and Jecht hadn't been allowed to go with him. He'd never thought to ask what had gone on or what had become of the town, and as he now realised, it was no doubt the one that Rikku was talking about. He mulled over possibilities.

It didn't seem to make sense - Dr. Eggman was no murderer. "Did one of his robots malfunction?" he asked.

.

Rikku looked at him for moment. She lost her scornful look and if Jecht hadn't been so shocked he would have been glad; it didn't suit her. Then again, neither did the cheerless expression on her face. "I don't think that ordering them to destroy everything and everyone was a malfunction," she said. "Eggman's... changed. He doesn't mess around or give any chances, not like he used to. He's ruthless. He'll do anything to get what he wants, and that includes taking lives."

.

Jecht couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was true that Dr. Eggman had changed his methods, Jecht had noticed it himself, but surely the scientist wouldn't go _that_ far. Perhaps there had been a mistake. Maybe something had gone wrong. He stared long and hard into Rikku's lime orbs, searching them. She returned his stare, and she knew instantly that it was hopeless to try to convince him of Dr. Eggman's new traits. He didn't believe her, or he didn't want to, which was just as bad. It was as simple as that.

* * *

**So, Dr. Eggman is getting worse... Will Jecht eventually understand that?  
I know that perhaps Eggy isn't that bad but he did take a sinister turn at times in Sonic X and he is a baddie after all. And did you see Sonic Unleashed? He's a freaking maniac! But yeah I dunno, what do you think?  
****Reviews are awesome if you don't mind sparing a minute. Thanks :)**


	8. Broken Dreams

**I know, I know, its been a really long wait. Well, its been double the amount of time that it should have so I'm sorry.  
Thank you, _OddSakura, silverdawn2010, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, TrumpetGirl818 _and _lord opreme 01_- your comments practically made my week :D**

* * *

Chapter 8 – Broken Dreams

The lilac cat sighed, abruptly ending the topic of conversation, unable to see the point of it. She drew her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Jecht glanced at her awkwardly and turned away, as if to ignore her. He tried to feign interest in his surroundings once again, but it was far more difficult now that they'd spoken. His eyes were drawn to the door and he considered leaving the room. It wouldn't make that much of a difference would it? Rikku was hardly likely to escape any time soon. He straightened, his decision made.

I'm out of here, he thought.

He strode out of the cold, metal room, trying to look brisk.

.

A sigh of relief was inevitable as he hurried into the corridor. The tension was lifted from him for a moment. He slowed to a lingering pace, dragging his feet as he scuffed the tips of his shoes across the hard floor. His hands flexed and straightened again, as if to shake off the guilt that threatened to drag him down. An echoing silence plagued the halls and Jecht almost shuddered. He'd never noticed how eerily quiet it was inside Dr. Eggman's base and it bothered him. The quietness allowed his conscience to be heard and he didn't want to listen to what it was saying. He glanced about the grey walls, realising that there were no clocks, or any decoration for that matter. It stole his interest as he recognised that it was rather fitting; he'd often wondered if his employment with Dr. Eggman would be everlasting.

.

He stared at his shoes again. Would he really be working for an evil genius for the rest of his life? Sure, Jecht had wanted to be accepted, and it had been what he'd sought after for years. But even at that point, he couldn't be sure if he saw himself doing that for so long. He swallowed, knowing that he'd be in trouble for just thinking that. And then there was the issue that Rikku had brought to his unwilling attention: Dr. Eggman's increasing cruelness. Jecht hadn't seen the evidence of his boss destroying a whole town, and being a logical person; he would usually act adamantly and stick with what he'd seen with his own eyes. But somehow her words had clung to him, refusing to leave his thoughts.

.

All of a sudden, he was eased from the weight of his mind as a sound was finally heard. A voice could be heard; a soft, sweet-sounding voice. His ears perked up and he froze. It was singing, radiating a melodious harmony. The sound was nothing short of beautiful and his awareness was channelled purely into listening. A few moments allowed him to realise that he recognised the song as the words eventually reached his dazed ears.

"_Every broken dream_

_Was just another sign,_

_At some moments it seemed_

_That I would never have my time..."_

.

Jecht's eyes widened in remembrance. He could never recall where he'd first heard that song but he'd always loved it. He wasn't one for music, and yet it was the only song that had well and truly struck a chord with him. It took him a moment to become aware of the fact that it was abnormal to hear music playing in the airborne station. Something wasn't right. He came to his senses and before he could consider it he'd jetted off towards the source of the sound.

.

As he ran closer and closer to the origin of the singing, he found himself moving quickly back in the direction that he'd come, and towards Rikku's cell. The words were clearer now.

"_And it may have taken a while,_

_But I finally discovered what I was searching for,_

_The love that I needed was there all along _

_And I found it in you..."_

It was unlike any version he'd ever heard before. It sounded different in some way, as if it was purer.

.

Jecht suddenly arrived at Rikku's 'imprisonment' room and he skidded to a halt. He lurched inside, prepared for whatever was happening. He was met with a startled pair of green eyes as the cat glanced up at him. He paused, panting slightly.

"What was that music?" he demanded.

She stared at him, confused.

"I heard... that song," he explained. "Didn't you hear it?"

"That was just me," Rikku said quietly. Now it was Jecht's turn to stare.

"That was _you_?" he asked.

She nodded, her eyes still veiled with a hardness that deflected emotion. Jecht was astounded. He tore his gaze from her and watched the floor uncomfortably.

"Oh," he said.

.

He shifted across the room to sink into a hard, wooden stool beside her cell. He cleared his throat. "It sounded... really nice," he said quietly. He hesitated. "I err... I always thought that one day... when I'd find the person for me... I'd sing it to them."

Rikku stared at him for a moment as if touched, but then she frowned again, ignoring his confession. "So now you're giving me compliments?" she said cynically.

He winced but gained a self-protective expression. "You don't have to be like this," he growled.

"You can't blame me for being a little bit _annoyed_ that you kidnapped me!" she cried.

Jecht let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands down his face. "Again with the kidnapping thing," he muttered. He couldn't be sure that she'd heard his comment; she didn't respond.

.

She was glowering at him intently, when a new light dawned on her. "Tell me 'The Legend of the Soulmates'," she said.

Jecht whipped his head up and watched her. Yes, she was serious. He wasn't sure what to say so he said nothing.

"You could at least tell me that, seeing as there's nothing else to do. I'll probably be killed soon anyway," she said, the sadness returning in her voice to match her expression.

Jecht pushed aside the mixed feelings that formed from that statement. He scowled. "You're _not_ going to be killed," he huffed crossly. When she said nothing he went on, "Why do you need to know anyway?"

"I didn't think it was too much to ask," she said.

.

Jecht sighed. "You really want to know?"

She nodded. He glanced around the room for a moment, as if checking for trespassers, before turning back to her.

"Alright, alright," he said irritably. Then he took a deep breath and began. "About four-hundred years ago," he said slowly, "Back in the town where I lived – Kukrichejt – there were two people living in opposite sides of the town. According to the legend, they fell hopelessly in love because of a connection between them or something like that," he said, gesturing nonchalantly with his hands. "As soon as they came into physical contact with each other, they felt an electric sensation, like lightning. Supposedly, from that moment, they knew that they were meant for each other. It was allegedly like two puzzle pieces fitting together and they 'completed' each other.

.

"From that day onwards, people believed that every person on the planet has one person that it meant for them to spend their life with in 'eternal happiness'." Jecht leaned forwards in his seat, watching her closely as if to enforce his words. "But it's just a legend, a story. It's never been proved and it doesn't even make sense."

Rikku was staring at him in wonder, swallowing the information. There was a flash of sudden understanding across her face as if something had just clicked into place. "That's... that's like what happened when we met on the day of the battle," she said in awe.

Jecht grimaced. "No, it's nothing like that–"

"That spark," she said. "That was like the legend, wasn't it?"

"No!" Jecht cried. Seeing Rikku's shocked face he quietened. "I mean – no – that legend is just a myth that's been in my town for centuries. It doesn't mean anything."

Rikku said, "If it doesn't mean anything that why did you say it? There must be a part of you that believes it or you wouldn't have mentioned it."

.

Jecht strained his mind for a quick response. "I don't know why I said it!" he protested.

"There's got to be a part of you that believes in love, right? Have you ever properly considered that 'The Legend of the Soulmates' might just be real, and that we might have felt it?" Rikku said softly. Her calm attitude only seemed to make Jecht even more fidgety and frustrated. It seemed that her open and steady gaze unnerved him, bringing up his defence mechanisms. The mention of the old legend was enough as it was, but linking it with him didn't seem to be going down well.

.

Jecht's lilac-blue orbs were flecked with alarm, like a hunted animal in the shadow of a predator. Rikku gazed at him. She was using everything she had to try and understand him but it was difficult to say the least. Why was he so stubborn, mostly refusing to bring up the subject? She was mentally analysing each of his movements: every shift of an eye, every time his fingers clamped together nervously. Rikku waited for him to make eye contact with her again but he didn't, keeping his eyes fixed on his hands. She lowered her voice so that it barely hovered over a whisper.

"Why are you so distant from your feelings?" she asked gently.

Jecht avoided her eyes, keeping them trained on his gloved fingers that were swivelling around each other. "Feelings are pointless," he stated icily.

.

Rikku almost jumped at the hard tone of his voice. "That's not true. And they're nothing to be afraid of," she said.

"I'm _not_ afraid," he hissed, "I just know better."

"But it's almost like you're scared to even touch on the subject of love," she pointed out.

He finally looked up at her then, both surprised and irritated that she'd said that. "Love is nothing but a tool for destruction," he muttered harshly. "It's probably one of the most dangerous things in the world because so many people are dumb enough to fall for it. They just waltz right into the trap and then they're left alone with nobody to help them."

.

The lilac cat was speechless for a moment. It was definitely one of the most shocking things that he'd said to her. It seemed unlike him, to blurt out something like that. She watched him absorbedly, training her eyes into his face to pick out every ounce of emotion. She was about to speak again when a thought struck her. The memory that she'd seen crept back into her mind as she was reminded of Jecht's past. It all made sense now. She gasped as the realisation shook her to the core.

Oh, Jecht... "You..." she trailed off, unsure of how to place her words. "You don't know how to love, because you've never _been_ loved, have you?" she breathed.

.

The look that Jecht gave her was the only answer she needed. His brow was drawn inwards and his lips curved down into a frown. But his orbs were the gateway to his feelings. They were filled to the brim with emotion, with every single layer being laced with frustration and defensiveness, and then the inner layers dotted with the desolation and disappointment from his past. Rikku was overwhelmed with sadness for him. She couldn't even begin to try and comprehend what he must have felt as a child, and how he must have gotten through life on his own. And judging by that old memory, all that she could grasp was that Jecht had been blamed for a death that had nothing to do with him, and by his own father.

"I'm so_ sorry_," she said quietly.

.

The protective fear was gone from his expression now as it had been replenished by bitter annoyance. "Don't be," he said. "Maybe I seem unlucky but at least I learnt to live by myself. I learnt to be independent, and I learnt not to rely on feelings." He finally returned her constant gaze as he tried to re-draw his hard exterior. "I learnt what love and compassion can do to you. I saw how it destroyed people so I managed to become immune to it. At least I'm not going to fall into that trap," he said.

Rikku shook her head sadly. "You talk about love like it's a poison," she said.

.

Jecht kept his gaze on her, trying to bring up his shields again. "Because that's exactly what it is," he stated. "It can ruin a person's life and cause them more pain than any physical weapon ever could."

"But it doesn't have to be like that," said Rikku. "Love is a _good_ thing. Maybe it can be a little painful sometimes, but it's worth it for the happiness that it brings. It's probably one of the most amazing feelings that you'll ever have." Her speech brought a cynical smile to his lips and he raised an eyebrow, watching her from the gaps in between his bang quills.

The sore tension in the air had been lifted off them for a moment as Jecht forced it away, trying to make it seem almost laughable.

"Do you always say corny stuff like that?" he laughed.

Rikku smiled slightly. "Only when somebody's around to hear it," she said.

.

As quickly as it had come, the relief was swept away as a current of sorrow washed over her lime orbs once again. She looked away from him, aiming her stare onto the floor. She couldn't help but find it hard to smile when she knew that death was just around the corner. Little shivers ran down her spine at the thought of her life being cut short by a maniacal scientist. She breathed out deeply, resting her chin on her knees. Jecht watched her movements, briefly stunned at her change of attitude. He'd become almost accustomed to seeing her gentle smile and found that he didn't like to see her so miserable. For a moment he wondered why she seemed so sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, but regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Of course he knew what was wrong! He would have hit himself if it wasn't for her expression, directed accusingly at him.

.

She fiddled with the tip of her tail, her ears lowered against her head. "I don't really need to answer that, do I?" she said, her tone implying anything but a question.

There was a ghostly aura of gloom that suspended them both and even Jecht couldn't shrug it off.

"I'm not ready to die," she murmured sorrowfully, faintly aware that he was listening.

He fidgeted, reluctant to get into the subject. He kept his lips closed, listening to see if she would speak again.

"Just promise me something, Jecht," she pleaded. "Promise that when it's time... you'll be the one to do it."

He didn't need to ask what she meant. He just stared at his hands again. What could he say to that? Nothing. Nothing at all.

* * *

**That's all for now! So I know that chapter was mainly talk between Jecht and Rikku but it was deliberate so there.  
I can't promise SonAmy in the next chapter but I'll see what I can do... I don't want it to seem like a tacky add-on, you know?  
Plus, who can guess the meaning of Jecht's home town name? It's anagram of more than one word... Leave your guesses in reviews and I'll reveal all in the next chapter!  
Will Rikku escape? Or will she be killed? And is Eggman as evil as he seems?...**

**Review if you have the strength! :)**


	9. Solace, Not Soulmate

**Chapter 8 is here, and on a tuesday of all days! :O I know, I know (I hate Tuesdays for some reason) but let's just say I was gifted with the wonder of free time. Don't take it for granted guys, thats my advice.  
****Thanks a bunch to: _Alixems, Constanza Rose, SugarhogRose, LeyLa (_what the-? is that seriously your name? cos i kno someone with that name... do u kno me?) and _OddSakura_. Thanks for your supportive reviews, guys! So anyway, here is your unusually out of routine chapter, enjoy the randomly updated chapter! :)**

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Chapter 9 – Solace, Not Soulmate

Jecht forced his eyes onto the ring of keys that was hooked around his finger, making sure not to glance at Rikku again. He couldn't help but steal a glimpse of her occasionally; she looked so peaceful, curled up with her head resting on her hands. She'd fallen asleep a while ago, probably from exhaustion, he mused. He shifted slightly on the wooden stool, his feet propped up on a control panel beside her cell. He'd managed to keep his focus onto the keys on his finger by twirling them rhythmically. He spun the loop with ease and every now and then his eyes would drift to her sleeping form, still captivated by her beauty.

.

He shook his head, steeling himself. It was quiet in the room and he usually would have liked that, but he couldn't help feeling a little awkward.

Man, if I stay here much longer I'm gonna go crazy.

He eyed Rikku again and stood up, keeping the metal hoop of keys clutched in his hand. He took one last glance at her before stepping out of the room and into the corridor, shuddering at the cold air that induced.

.

He walked slowly, listening out for any signs of life within the base, distantly pondering the whereabouts of his boss. He walked past the main control room when a pair of voices made him pause beside the doorway. He pressed himself against the wall and strained his ears to hear the conversation.

"Good work, Metal. I'm pleased to see that Jecht is back on track," Dr. Eggman said in his scratchy voice.

Then came the robotic voice of Metal Sonic. "But, Doctor, what about the prisoner?"

Jecht stiffened.

"What about her?" Eggman demanded.

"With respect, Doctor, it doesn't seem that she is of much use," Metal Sonic stated.

"Well, no I suppose she isn't."

"Then I think it's best to exterminate her."

.

Jecht felt his blood run cold. His hand gripped the keys tighter, until the rusty metal bit through his glove. His heart sped up into such a fast pace that it seemed to be humming, but with each beat it hammered his chest painfully. He swallowed a gasp and tried to regain his concentration.

"Extermination seems rather severe," said Dr. Eggman.

Metal said, "You did say that you were not going to lose anymore, Doctor. You said that nothing would stand in your way. No matter what it takes. She could give away our position or she might have found information while she's been here. It's the wisest option."

.

There was an agonising silence as Dr. Eggman was obviously pondering the decision. Jecht tensed his muscles as if to hold back his panic.

"You're right, Metal Sonic," Dr. Eggman finally replied. "Of course I'll do whatever is necessary. You can carry out the act as soon as you're ready."

"Yes, Doctor."

Jecht suddenly held his fist onto his chest as his heart lurched in alarm. He thought he was going to be sick. Rikku had been right all along. Eggman had changed, and that robot probably wasn't helping. And now she really was going to die, and it would be his fault. Memories of his father screaming at him raced through his mind, taunting him, reminding him that he was the one to blame. He stood frozen in place, weighed down by his uncovered fears.

.

Biting his lip in effort to toughen his confidence, Jecht straightened as he realised that there was still time to change things. He was the only person that had a chance, he knew. Before his breath had caught up with him, he'd jumped away from the wall and tore off towards Rikku's room once again. He tried in vain to keep his footsteps quiet as he shot down the hall and back inside the room. She barely stirred. He moved silently to her cell, keeping his movements light and agile. He quickly found the correct key after fumbling around for a moment and placed it inside the lock, turning it hurriedly.

.

The cold, metal door swung open, leaving a harsh creaking sound to echo in the air. Jecht ignored it and dropped beside the sleeping cat without hesitating. He shook her shoulder. Her eyelids flickered and she moaned.

"Rikku!" he whispered. "Rikku! Come on, get up!"

She lifted her head to regard him, and a small hint of dread flickered through her drowsy, lime orbs. "Is it time already?" she breathed.

"Yes, now come on!" He held out his hand to her, and pulled her into a sitting position.

"Alright," she whispered fearfully. "Just please make it quick." She clenched her eyes shut and held his arm.

.

He stared at her briefly. "_What_?" he hissed.

Rikku opened her eyes again, tilting her head as she watched him with a new light of curiosity. "Aren't you here to kill me?"

"_No_!" Jecht cried. He lowered his voice again. "No, I'm here to save you."

She glanced questioningly at him and he explained with a greater sense of urgency.

"I heard Dr. Eggman talking to Metal Sonic and you were right. They want to kill you. So come on!" he said again.

Rikku barely had time to react before he'd pulled her up. He kept one hand clasping hers protectively, and with the other he held his finger to his lips to signal for her to stay quiet. She nodded and they crept towards the doorway. Jecht paused in the corridor, darting his eyes about the surroundings and tilting his ears. A ghostly stillness remained inside the base and not a sound could be heard but the far-off whistling of the air whipping against the metal shell of the flying station.

.

Jecht was sure that the coast was clear and he stepped further into the corridor, gently beckoning Rikku with him. After one last check of their environment, Jecht suddenly broke into a run. Rikku held his hand tighter with effort to keep up. They zipped in and out of a maze of hallways, racing down the corridors and swerving round corners. Jecht kept himself attentive and they would occasionally pause to listen before running again. They were almost out of breath as they finally reached the outside air on the deck. Then they stopped, their hearts pounding. The night wind was whipping around them and it was made colder by the height of the ship. The stars gently lit the sky like tiny lanterns.

.

Jecht glanced around again, still unconvinced of their momentary safety. He was so caught in the moment that he didn't take much notice of her delicate hands in his. "Are you alright?" he said quickly.

Rikku nodded, her chest heaving slightly from the running.

"Good," Jecht said firmly. He held a firm but concerned gaze, his good looks outlined in the moonlight. "I'm going to have to set off the alarm in about five minutes to make it seem like you escaped by accident. Will that be enough time for you to get off the ship?"

"I... well how am I supposed to get off?" she asked.

.

Just as the sentence left her lips, a familiar whirring of propellers could be heard as the _X-Tornado_ came into view. The blue aircraft swooped beside the huge station so that it was directly beside it, about to land. Jecht nodded towards the plane.

"Looks like your friends have figured that one out," he said.

Rikku smiled in recognition at the scene before turning back to her belated saviour. He didn't seem to be meeting her gaze entirely, as if the awkwardness had returned to him and he'd forgotten how to communicate. It had been a delayed rescue but to Rikku he was practically a knight in shining armour. She squeezed his hands.

"Jecht," she said softly.

He looked at her.

"Thank you." She placed a short, sweet kiss on his lips and pulled back again.

He looked like a startled rabbit and she smiled sweetly again before reluctantly letting go of his hands and stepping back from him.

.

After one last glance at her hero, she ran over to Sonic and the rest of her friends, shouting to them and hugging them all. And Jecht just watched her from the shadows, and his fingers came to rest on his lips where hers had just been. He felt his cheeks heat up slightly and a small smile crept up his muzzle. It was like a small flame was burning in the dark and keeping his hopes alive. His smile grew as he continued to survey her actions, making sure that she left the ship. Thankfully she did and the blue airplane quickly flew away again, disappearing into the cover of the clouds. He pried himself away from the outside at last and strode back into the base, switching back into his assumed business role.

.

He swiftly made his way back into the room where Rikku had been his prisoner only moments ago and glanced at the emergency alarm behind the thin sheet of security glass. A moment of hesitation prepared himself and he clenched his hand into a fist. Then he smashed the glass. The alarm sounded. The sudden, thick wailing of the siren bounced off the walls and battered his ears. It was a harsh reminder of his situation. He knew that he'd be in a heap of trouble for the 'captive escaping'. He braced himself for the difficulties that could follow but he didn't feel nearly as anxious as he normally would. He was securely aware of the fact that Rikku was safe and it gave him a strange, warm comfort.

.

In between the mix of feelings that obscured his mind, Jecht was somewhat intrigued by the one that lingered in amongst his thoughts; the one that was weaved through his every consideration but he'd never really taken any notice of. But his curiosity was highly limited – even at that point – and he was hesitant to delve into the meaning of that particular emotion. It didn't disturb him quite as much as it used to, and despite his underlying nervousness he was growing slightly accustomed to it.

.

Throughout the next several hours, Jecht finally understood that he had a new motive for continuing his work as he contemplated his feelings. Everything that he'd endured seemed belittled by the masked emotion that now intruded his thoughts. It was a foreigner and a potential threat to his sanity, he thought, but at least now he'd accepted its place in his mind and had lessened his furious state of denial. But of course he still refused to believe in the soulmates legend or any 'mushy stuff' like that, and his shields would shoot up at the mention of them.

.

Nonetheless, it was nice to have some reassurance that the person he'd come to care about was safe. 'Care' was perhaps an understatement, Jecht knew, but that didn't stop him from rejecting the idea. Rikku was somebody that soothed the inner turmoil that he felt, but that did _not_ relate to the 'Legend of the Soulmates'in any way; of course it didn't.

.

Even with the foggy mystery of his mind, Jecht was satisfied. Rikku was safe for the time being. She was out of harm's way, and not only that but it seemed that things were almost looking up. Jecht smiled to himself as he returned to his room. Yes, things were going well, considering his situation. Surely, it could only go uphill from then onwards.

* * *

**Hmm, surely indeed... MWA HA HA suspenseyness! Doesn't it torture you so?  
So.. Eggman's being a very bad egg but apart from that things are 'looking up'. Are they really? We'll see... ;)  
Hope you enjoyed the unexpected chapter! Reviews are great and they make me smile, if you could spare a little while! ^_^**


	10. Fog of the Mind

**The big 1-0 for S.S.! I know it took aaagggeess and I'm really sorry for that. To be honest, as well as work, it's partly because I've just started making a Sonic monopoly and I love it so much that I get a bit addicted to doing it :) But now that I'm back into the swing of the story I'm more enthusiastic about it! It's probably 3/4 of the way finished.  
ANyway, thank you, S_ilverDawn2010, Constanza Rose, OddSakura, TrumpetGirl818 _and _IHeartSonAmy_ for your awesome reviews! I luv 'em! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Fog of the Mind**

Rikku tilted her feet sideways and the watched the soles of her black boots tip on their edges. She held her hands behind her back, nervously regarding the crimson echidna before her. She understood her friends' concern for her but she was uncomfortable with answering all these questions, particularly from a rather suspicious Knuckles.

"So you just escaped by yourself?" he asked again.

Rikku nodded awkwardly. She took fleeting looks around the room, itching for the opportunity to escape the conversation, not daring to glance into the echidna's eyes.

.

It felt awful to lie and she really wasn't used to it but Jecht had been keen to stress that she wasn't to tell another soul about the rescue. She didn't see why not. Perhaps if she just explained that Jecht truly was good at heart and that he was just confused and...

Maybe it wasn't a good idea. She had a sinking feeling that nobody would believe her anyway. It seemed that most of the Sonic Gang disliked the green hedgehog and Rikku couldn't be sure if they'd listen. It was true that Jecht had made bad decisions in life but that didn't make him a bad person, she knew.

.

But still, she'd promised Jecht that she wouldn't say a word. She sighed. "Knuckles, I've got to go now, sorry, see you later," she said quietly. Before he could protest she hurried out of the room, shaking her head. She couldn't stand all this deception. She just wanted to explain everything to her friends and let it all work out. It seemed to become routine to either shrug off her friends' questions or to tell them something untruthful, which made her feel bad.

.

In some ways things had taken a turn for the better, she supposed. Jecht had shown a little more of his compassionate side, confirming her suspicions, and he'd saved her life so they were even. But at the same time she'd been finding it pretty difficult keeping so many secrets from her friends, and it felt as if the calm atmosphere was teetering on the line between peace and chaos. She exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the tension around her. It wasn't exactly the current situation that bothered her, but the unknowing of what would happen afterwards troubled her to no end. The next time Dr. Eggman attacked there was a good chance that Jecht would be with him, and then what? The green hedgehog had shown that he would protect her, hadn't he? But he was still on Eggman's side. Oh, why did this have to be so _difficult_?

.

Rikku gazed at the room that she shared with Amy as she entered it, partly relieved that Amy was absent. She collapsed onto her bed, glad with the little comfort that it gave her from her present circumstance. It was at times like these that she realised the true extent of how much she resented secrecy. She loved to talk things through with those that she cared about and she was being prevented from doing that. In her times of need, all that she needed was to let her heart out to somebody who would listen, and for once, all of her friends wanted to listen but she would hardly say a word. It just felt wrong to act this way; it went against the means that she'd always lived.

.

She was beginning to admit that perhaps she was a little naïve, as she banished her earlier hopes that her friends would understand. Of course they wouldn't, she knew that now. How could they? Jecht had been their enemy, and he still was, and he'd lied to them all. He'd upset Amy, hurt and annoyed Sonic, and used them. But he'd never truly wanted them to suffer. Rikku could see, deep down, that Jecht was guilty for what he'd done. He'd felt trapped and had resorted to working for an evil genius, and had followed orders, naturally. He was almost as naive as she was, now that she reflected on it. He tried to appear tough and impenetrable but she saw through it, even if nobody else could.

.

And then there was the most significant issue of all. Jecht was constantly on her mind, all the time. It was almost impossible to get any sleep at night because she was either thinking about him or about what was between them both. That was why she often tried to talk to him despite the danger; she wanted to be near him. She wanted to share her time with him and tell him how she felt. And she didn't feel that he was dangerous anyway. Ever since the day they'd first met, most of her fears had been swept away or belittled in comparison to this new feeling that she'd gained from his company. And while she'd embraced and enjoyed the thrill of this emotion, she'd begun to understand it almost completely.

.

She wasn't sure how it had happened. She didn't know exactly when it happened either, but maybe it was there all along. The only thing that she knew for sure was that at some point, she'd fallen in love with Jecht the Hedgehog. Then it hit her. There _was _someone who would understand. She could talk to the hedgehog himself. They could talk it through together, and she could help him to see the increasing bond between them. Rikku smiled, relieved at having finally come up with some kind of solution. She wouldn't wait for him to appear outside her window. No, instead she would make it happen herself. She would be the one throwing pebbles. Her decision was made.

.

help him to see the increasing bond between them. Rikku smiled, relieved at having finally come up with some kind of solution. She wouldn't wait for him to appear outside her window. No, instead she would make it happen herself. She would be the one throwing pebbles. Her decision was made.

[***]

The heel of Knuckles' shoe kicked backwards into the steps of the Master Emerald shrine as he swung his legs back and forth in frustration. There were just so many things on his mind, the main one being a particular beautiful bat. He'd been about to ask her where they stood with each other when they'd seen Rikku below them. If only he'd got the chance then this whole thing might have been sorted. He rested his chin on his hand. Did Rouge know how she felt about it? What if she didn't really like him and she just held his hand to wind him up? She did seem to like annoying him. Knuckles bit the insides of his mouth, finding himself troubled by the thought. He shook it off, trying to focus on the other issues in his mind.

.

There was that large, cannon-like machine in Eggman's base. The villain had said it wasn't the Eclipse Cannon, but what other type of cannon could he possibly need? The Eclipse Cannon was the most powerful cannon that had ever existed, and it was known as one of Eggman's biggest desires to create mass destruction. Unless he didn't want mass destruction... Could that machine be specialised somehow? Knuckles sighed, his frustration quick to rise. He had no idea what that crazy man was up to.

.

Not only was Eggman suspicious, but Knuckles had noticed that Rikku was acting slightly odd. He found it strange that she'd managed to escape by herself. They'd all seen that she was no fighter; she didn't stand a chance against Eggman's robots. So that meant she had to be lying. But why? There was no reason to. And if she was lying, then how did she get out? Had she made an allegiance with Eggman? Knuckles stood up quickly. It was certainly possible. After all, he didn't know Rikku; she could easily be a traitor. He frowned. She'd taken them all for a fool! And to think that he'd been tricked by her innocent act. Why, he'd tried to help her when she was supposedly being 'captured'! It was probably a plan all along. Knuckles clenched his fists. She wasn't going to get away with this. He decided that it was time to have a little talk with their new 'friend'.

.

He jumped down from the top of the shrine, but paused as a slender, feminine shadow passed over his own and the girl that it belonged to landed beside him. He felt his face heat up at being alone with her, and all thoughts from only moments ago were wiped from his head.

"Hey there, sugar," Rouge purred.

"Hi". He shifted his feet awkwardly.

Now what?

Now... he asked her what he'd been thinking, he supposed. "Rouge," he said, praying that she didn't think he sounded as weak as he felt. "I... I'm glad you showed up because I wanted to ask you what this means."

Rouge tilted her head. "What _is_ 'this'?"

"You know... How you hang around a lot more and we play-fight together and..." He turned away, bushing harder. "We... hold hands." He kept his distance, feeling so embarrassed it wasn't even funny.

.

Rouge suddenly felt nervous herself as she regarded her crush. "Well, what do you want it to mean?"

"I don't know," he huffed, folding his arms. "What do _you_ want it to mean?"

She smiled a little, knowing that he wasn't really annoyed. He was just her incredibly embarrassed, clumsy Knuckles. She placed a hand on his arm. "I want it to be more," she said.

He finally turned to face her properly, surprised. "S-so do I," he said.

"Then let's say you and me make it official, hmm?"

Knuckles' cheeks turned a brighter red than his fur? She wanted to be _married? _That was a little overwhelming, to say the least. "I... I... that's not what I meant. Well, I mean it was, but not really, because no," he spluttered. He shook his head. "Don't you think we're a bit young for that?"

.

Now Rouge was confused. "No. Knuckles, Sonic and Amy are younger than us and they're already a couple."

"But they're not married!"

"I never said that I-" she paused, suddenly realising his mistake. "Oh." She laughed, earning a scowl from Knuckles.

"What's so funny?"

Rouge just laughed harder. "Oh Knuckie, you're so..." She laughed again. "I didn't want to get married; I just wanted you to be my boyfriend."

"Oh." There was a pause. Knuckles looked around, unsure of what to do next.

Rouge held her hand to her lips to stifle a chuckle and leaned towards his ear. "Now you just have to ask me, you knucklehead."

"I knew that!" he growled, unsure if his cheeks could feel any hotter. Man, this had to be the most awkward beginning of a relationship ever. "Rouge," he said anxiously, "Will you... go out with me?"

.

The pearly white bat placed her hands around his neck. "I thought you'd never ask," she breathed. She leaned forward, her lips getting closer to his. But Knuckles wasn't moving. She glanced at him, taking note of the uncertainty in his purple eyes. A laugh escaped her. "Means yes, Knuckles."

The echidna blushed again, but couldn't help grinning at her. His girlfriend. "I knew that," he whispered, his mouth moving closer. Their lips touched and the couple shared their first kiss, loving every moment. Knuckles suddenly wasn't embarrassed anymore. Being a little slow on the uptake wasn't a problem, not while he had Rouge. She loved him just the way he was. And he felt exactly the same way for her.

[***]

For the remainder of the day, Rikku was more communicative, pleased with her plan. She went about the house with a smile on her face with the promise of meeting Jecht as soon as Amy was asleep. And sure enough, as night fell across the town, she'd already put her pyjamas over her clothes to hide them before the two friends had gone to bed. She lay in silence, straining her ears for any signs of Amy stirring. She found none and carefully swivelled into a sitting position, with her feet dangling across the carpet. She watched for a moment, her eyes trained on the shape that was her sleeping hedgehog friend. Once again, there was no movement or sound apart from a soft breathing coming from the pink girl. Rikku hopped out of bed, quickly peeling off her pyjamas to reveal her usual outfit underneath, and after a quick check of her appearance she noiselessly ran down the stairs and into the cold night air.

.

It was silent outside without even a gentle breeze. The darkness smothered the scenery, cloaking it in mysterious shadows. The weather wasn't strong at all, excluding the light mist that danced around the trees. Rikku paid no heed to her surroundings and immediately broke into a run, heading into the forest towards what she hoped was the right direction to Eggman's base. Her breath came out in short bursts as her feet pounded through the trees and the wispy fog gently traced her body. The sharp chill of the night didn't faze her. Her determination pushed aside the sharp coldness and her eyes shone with excitement.

.

As she drove her legs to move faster, it didn't occur to her that the person she was looking for might not have been where she thought, but instead was nearby. It was only when a flicker of green caught her eye – a green slightly bolder than that of the forest – that she suddenly dug her feet into the ground and came to a halt. Her body lurched forwards slightly and she wobbled before catching her balance and quickly turning to look at the person opposite her. Her face lit up, realising that Jecht was in fact a few metres away from her, partly shrouded in the fog. He was facing the other way and his head was tilted upwards as if looking at the stars. She grinned and ran over to him.

.

"Jecht!" she cried.

The green hedgehog turned around and his solemn expression morphed as his orbs gained a subtle spark. As soon as he faced her, Rikku threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened at this unexpected, foreign embrace and he stood unmoving for a moment. She released him gently, meeting his gaze. He blinked and finally summoned words from his mouth.

"Rikku," he said quietly. "What are you doing out here?" Even he was a little taken aback by the soft tone in his voice. It was a huge contrast compared to his previous behaviour. It only made him realise how much had changed between them since he'd saved her from Eggman's base.

"I could ask you the same," she smiled.

.

When he didn't reply she laughed so quietly it was inaudible. "I was actually looking for you," she admitted. She watched his expression gain a hint of surprise once again as he regarded her curiously.

"For me?"

She nodded. "I was going to Eggman's base but then I saw you here."

Jecht suddenly frowned. "Why would you go back there? You just got out of that place. You shouldn't even go near it. It's dangerous."

Her ears lowered briefly at his firm gaze until she suddenly wondered if he was being protective of her. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking...

.

No, he definitely cared. After all, that was why she was there in the first place. "I know," she said, "But I wanted to see you."

His face softened. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," she said, her volume lowering again.

"Okay. Go ahead."

She kept her eyes on his, entranced by the pools of lilac. There was an uncovered softness in them that hadn't shown before and it drew her to him. "It's just that... I've been thinking about all that's happened and I'm finding it hard with all these secrets," she confessed. "But it's not just that. I've mostly been thinking about the 'Legend of the Soulmates' and what it means, and... well... it's between us, isn't it? We're soulmates," she breathed.

.

Jecht said nothing. He didn't deny it but didn't confirm it either. He just watched her carefully her, observing her. Her resolve to make him see her theory was strong and he couldn't help admiring it. And yet, she hadn't really rushed him. She hadn't actually pressurised him, although he felt awkward at times. It was just strange for him to meet a person like her who could make him feel this way. He kept quiet for a moment and she continued.

.

"And I have reasons for saying that. I mean, I've barely known you a week but it's like I've known you all life. I feel like I can understand you and know that you understand me. And then when you told me the legend, it just sounded like it fit. And I guess what I'm really trying to say is that over the past few days I've come to realise that I... I've fallen in love with you," she finished, smiling nervously.

Jecht's eyes widened so far he wondered if they'd stay on his head. He swallowed as if digesting the information.

Rikku... _loved_ him? That was- It was just-

.

Still he said nothing. He should have seen it coming, he supposed. There _was_ something between them but it was daunting to be uncovering it so soon. He felt almost trapped. Red lights flashed in his mind, warning him not to be involved in this but he'd found that as time went on, those warning signals were doused by his newfound passion and... and something else. Oh, but surely he _knew_ what that feeling was by now? She'd just spelled it out for him!

.

But even now he fought to control it, until he remembered Rikku's words back in Eggman's base. Love was a good thing, she'd told him. The amount of times that he'd heard that was ridiculous. And yet, coming from her made it believable. If that connection between them was love then maybe it really could be true. It didn't really feel painful, as he'd expected it to. It was just... intriguing and it felt so damn good to have somebody care about him the way she did.

.

Rikku understood him so well it was unnerving. She'd even out rightly told him that she knew he was afraid, and he didn't bother hiding it from himself any further, because it was true. He was afraid. He was new to love and it frightened him to think that he was surrendering his restraint over himself. It was scary. He didn't like allowing himself to be swept off his feet. He didn't like getting on a ride when he didn't know exactly where it would take him. He was scared of getting hurt. He was scared of submitting control. And most of all, he was scared of falling in love and then losing it. And he knew that he'd already gotten the first part of that.

.

With all of these thoughts cascading through his mind, he was still able to capture Rikku's next words.

"I just want to know if you feel the same way," she said gently.

Jecht swallowed again. Did he feel the same? "I... err..." he stuttered. "I mean..."

"Just be honest," she encouraged.

"Well, you see..." He scratched his head. How to explain himself? "Life is... kind of like a cheeseburger," he said. She stared at him but he continued hastily, wanting to make himself clear. "You know, first off you get the plain, basic part – like the bun – and then you get into the more complicated stuff – like all the lettuce and the tomatoes and the onion. But that whole time, you're waiting for the thing that will make it easier and makes it all that much better, which is the cheese. And you're... you're... like that," he said, watching her anxiously.

.

Rikku raised an eyebrow but she giggled. "I'm a slice of cheese?"

Jecht blushed furiously. "You know what I mean. You're... I'm..."

"Just say it."

He stopped twiddling his fingers and put his hands on her shoulders, with a strong but gentle grip.

Aw, screw it, he thought. No more games. Just tell her the truth!

He took a quick, deep breath and trained his gaze into her beautiful lime orbs without hesitating for an instant. "We _are_ soulmates," he said confidently. "And I love you." In that second, he knew there was no going back. And he didn't care. It felt as though those spoken words had completed the puzzle and ridden his mind of anxiety and confusion. He barely noticed that the fog had thinned around them, allowing them to see more clearly.

.

Rikku's smile couldn't be bigger and she let out a tearful, breathless laugh. She laid her arms on his shoulders and stepped closer to him, looking slightly up at him from the minor height difference. Their lips drew closer, and for the first time, neither of them hesitated in the slightest. The kiss was strong and powerful, and both the hedgehog and the cat put everything they had into it. They released the imprisonment over their emotions and all of the love and the passion came tumbling out through the open floodgates. Waves of excitement and adoration crashed around them and the electrifying spark returned to them, tingling up their spines.

.

When they finally broke apart, breathing softly and watching each other, Jecht found his hands holding hers. He chuckled nervously, before all of a sudden his expression went back to its solemn look before she'd come to the forest. He gave her hands a small squeeze, but his eyes held a seriousness about them that immediately caused Rikku to lose her smile. Something was bothering him. And just like that, the fog thickened again as if to bring back his troubles.

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**Ooh what's Jecht going to say? dum dum dumm...  
Oh and BTW I made a new poll to find out about the paragraph spacing that I use, so please submit your votes so that I can see if it's helpful or not. Thank you.**

**And yeah I added a Knouge scene, hope you liked it! :)  
Thanks for reading this story so far, peoples! ^_^ Reviews are vair nice if ya don't mind :P**


	11. Aching of the Heart

**A/N: Okay so I know it took a while, but triple science exams decided to formally abduct my free time. ANyways, thank you, _SugarhogRose, OddSakura, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, SilverDawn2010, TrumpetGirl818 _and _Delta 2-1. _I love your feedback, so thanks guys ;)**

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**Chapter 11 - Aching of the Heart**

"Rikku," said Jecht. "You know that this doesn't change anything, don't you?"

Rikku's ears lowered. "What?"

Jecht's eyes gained a hint of guilt as his own ears did the same. His heart ached as he looked at the girl in front of him, knowing that what he would say would be nothing short of the painful truth, and she wouldn't like it. He sighed, searching his mind for a way to say it that might not seem so bad, but it seemed impossible. "I know that maybe now we've... admitted some things but that doesn't change our situation. It doesn't change the fact that we're enemies."

.

Rikku's eyes misted over for a moment as they grew partly clouded with a sudden dread. "But-"

"I wish I didn't have to say this, but it's the truth," Jecht said softly. "We're on totally different sides of a never-ending battle. Surely you know that we can't be together. It just wouldn't work."

"Why wouldn't it?" Rikku said, the pitch of her voice heightening as distress came over her expression.

"Think about it. If anybody found out about it we'd be in a heap of trouble. Your friends wouldn't exactly approve of it and I don't even want to think about what Eggman would do."

.

The lilac feline looked down for a moment, as if an argument for her sake would suddenly appear on the dark, moist soil beneath her feet. A reason suddenly came to her mind and her head whipped up again, forcing her eyes to meet his. "But you even said yourself that Eggman wasn't as evil as he seems," she pointed out desperately.

"Yeah, but _you_ were the one who said that he's ruthless. And have you forgotten everything in the past few days? He tried to _kill_ you, Rikku. If I hadn't got you out of there..." he trailed off. The consequences didn't bear thinking about. His eyes hardened again as he tried to be as firm as he possibly could. "The point is that you were right. Eggman _has_ changed. Whether it's endless defeat or just age or something like that, I don't know, but the fact is that he's a _killer_.

.

"And there'd be no point in trying to hide something like a relationship; it would be impossible," he said.

"Nothing's impossible."

"This _is_. And it's not worth the risk. We'd be found out instantly and I don't want either of us to get hurt.

Rikku bit her lip. She swallowed as if to suppress the tears that fought to escape her lime orbs. A quiet, hitched breath escaped her lips. "B-but... we can't just..." A tiny spark of hope still remained in her eyes as another idea formed. "We could run away together!" She put aside Jecht's surprised look. "You and me," she continued breathlessly. "There's so much that I want to share with you, so much that you haven't experienced. We could start again and nothing else would matter."

.

If she hadn't been so focused on him she might have missed the brief flash of desire cross Jecht's expression as for a moment he actually considered the idea. But it didn't last long. She should have known that the miniature spark would be doused by his inability to rely on his dreams.

"Rikku," he said gently. "You know we can't do that. Neither of us have any money, we have nowhere to go, nobody to help us, and what if we were recognised?"

Rikku paused. She had to put all of her focus into merely breathing normally. "But... but then... you could join the Sonic Team!"

"What? Rikku, no-"

"Then you wouldn't have to worry about Eggman, and we'd be with people we know!"

.

Jecht gazed sadly at her. She was just so... simple. She went through life with straightforward morals and relied on her heart to guide her. It was if she just expected bravery and determination to get her through life, and then she thought that everything would be okay? Did she honestly believe that? Jecht knew it wasn't that simple. But it broke his heart to have to break down her faith like this.

Still, it was better if he did it rather than her having to figure it out herself the hard way. He sighed. "I wish I could do that," he said. "But for one thing, Sonic would probably hate that, and for another, I just wouldn't fit in. It'd be way too awkward and Eggman wouldn't let it slip just because I'd be with you guys. No, he'd take it to the extreme and he'd hunt us down and he'd make us suffer in whatever way he wants."

Rikku hung her head but shook it. "There has to be a way," she whispered. "We can't just give up."

Jecht gave her hands another comforting squeeze. "Our only option is to pretend it never happened. You _know_ that."

.

The cat glanced up at him. Her eyes began to brim with tears and her voice shook. "So... so w-we're just supposed to act like there's _nothing _between us. Like it doesn't mean a _thing_?"

"It's the only thing we can do." Jecht looked into the distance for a moment, composing himself. Then he turned back to her and straightened. "I think... I think it's best if we... try to stay away from each other."

Rikku watched him.

"I mean permanently."

There was a pause as Jecht swallowed the way Rikku had done herself only moments ago. "I know it'll be hard, but like I said, there's no other option. We just need to try and... forget each other."

Rikku didn't know what to say. _Forget _each other? Was he serious? How could they possibly just forget after everything that they'd gone through, together?

.

Never one to hide her emotions, she let the tears blur her vision before spilling onto her cheeks, lightly tracing them with moisture. Everything just felt so wrong. She felt as if she was part of a movie, but the happy ending didn't seem anywhere in sight. They were stuck in a hopeless situation with no way out. All they could do was endure it, putting up with the heartache that it would surely bring.

.

Her hands still encased in his, she could feel the warmth emitting from underneath his gloves and it gave her slight comfort. She inhaled sharply, battling for air against her tears. "So... this is... goodbye, then?"

Jecht nodded, and found his eyes oddly stinging as the unfamiliar sensation of wetness formed in them. He sniffed to try and cover it and gazed deeply at her, knowing full well that it would be the last time he'd be able to. He took in everything. Her lilac fur, the way her bangs bobbed when she moved, and her eyes. Her eyes that were lined with a strong green with the shades of lime weaved around her pupils; intricate designs unique only to her that always seemed to be an unlimited source of hope. And yet now, they were partly filled with tears; something that he hated to see on her. He forced her image into his mind, half-cursing the fact that she looked so distraught.

.

The cat and the hedgehog focused on each other for a moment, before stepping closer. Jecht released her hands and wrapped his arms around her as her own arms linked gently behind his neck, and the two shared what was deemed to be their final kiss. It was sweet and pure, but something in Rikku's mind was crying out as her heart throbbed. This just wasn't right. They weren't supposed to be faced with an unsolvable problem, and they weren't supposed to just leave it. While she kissed Jecht tenderly, her tears continued to roll slowly down her face at the concept of leaving him. Her conscience was practically screaming at her but what could she do? Both she and Jecht were being forced to close the door on the best thing that had happened to them, and there was nothing that they could do about it.

.

They eventually broke from the kiss but Jecht kept his arms around her, holding her close to him. She laid her head on his chest, still stuttering over short, difficult breaths. Her eyes closed as she breathed painfully in attempt to block out the hurt. Jecht gently let his chin rest on her head as he hugged her, making sure to inhale her scent. Whether he was hugging her just to console her or to stop her from seeing fresh tears stream across his muzzle he wasn't sure. It was probably a combination of both. He didn't want her to see him so weak; it would make her feel worse and he didn't want that. He figured that it was the least he could do to protect her from feeling any sadder than she already did. So he gritted his teeth and controlled his breaths, suppressing them and crying quietly so that he wouldn't disturb her.

.

The two of them stayed like that long into the night, their eyes tight shut in their final effort to escape reality until it would come crashing down on them. The fog that had drifted around them was suddenly gone, and their situation became horribly clear. There was no way of avoiding it anymore. They knew that they could be stuck in this awful mess forever, with no way out. It was just the way that things were.

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**Yeah, I know, kinda sad chapter :'( Jecht and Rikku have agreed to try and stay away from each other ... But how long will that last?  
This is a short chapter because I felt that it needed to seperate from the next parts. Not much alternating dialogue so I guess the paragraph spacing wasn't all that needed but I can't just change the format half-way through a story! ;) And in my poll, most of you said that you prefer this spacing (with the full stops) so it's probably staying. There's still room for more votes though :)**

**Reviews are as awesome as the event of Sonic visiting you right now, which is VERY awesome! So review if ya can, please ^_^**


	12. Missing Him

**Finally! Finally I update! Guys, I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I don't know what happened, I just didnt get round to it I guess. Thank you so much for staying with me on this, i luv you lot ;) Anyways this chapter is a bit of a feelings chapter. You know, seeing how everyone's doing, then I'd say the action will pick up in the next one. I think there's about 3 or 4 chapters to go in this story.  
Thank you, _SilverDawn2010, Delta 2-1, SugarhogRose, TrumpetGirl818, ConstanzaRose _and_ XoxoSonamy4440oxoX _for your reviews _and_ for your patience! That was definitely my longest update. Hopefully won't happen again. **

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**Chapter 12 – Missing Him**

Rikku's eyes followed a brown and slightly curled, crunchy leaf as it drifted to the ground and settled into the small, scattered pile below it, gently rustling in the warm air. She sighed and her eyes drew back for a moment to briefly pass the reflection on the window pane, showing an unusual emptiness. She looked through it and at the pile again, trying to set her mind on the beginnings of autumn rather than the thoughts of a green hedgehog. It was almost impossible. It had been over three weeks and still the last words that they'd said to each other echoed in her mind.

"_We just need to try and... forget each other."_

"_So... this is... goodbye, then?"_

She blinked back the tears that emerged from her eyes. Rikku had always thought it wasn't healthy to hold back tears, but then she didn't think it very healthy to be crying most of the time either. She blinked again and wiped her eyes with a sniff.

.

She couldn't see Jecht, she knew that. Not ever; or at least not until there was a battle against Dr. Eggman, which would only place them as enemies and nothing more. But no matter how many times she drummed it into her head, she still found herself aching to see him, to have his strong arms around her and to hear his soft voice whispering into her ears. She hugged her knees against her chest and let her tail wrap around her, posing as a minor comfort: something that was hard to find, even on the couch of Amy's living room.

.

But even in her state of sadness, Rikku couldn't help but smile at the romance between her other friends. It was refreshing to notice their relationships bloom in different situations; even in danger it was visible. A sudden burst of laugher that matched a particular blue hedgehog came from the kitchen and it was followed by a giggle from Amy. Rikku instantly recognised it as one of their tickle fights.

"A-Amy! Please s-stop!" Sonic yelped, his voice shaking with laughter.

"You really shouldn't have told me you were ticklish, Sonic!" Amy declared.

The playful banter continued in between Sonic's gasps for air, and Rikku smiled to herself.

.

Only seconds later, a squeal from Amy indicated that Sonic had regained control of the situation as he laughed in the closest form to an evil cackle that he could muster. "Mwa ha ha! I've got you right where I want you! Any last words?" he said.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Amy giggled breathlessly, "If you even dare to-"

"Too late!"

Amy was sent into peals of laughter as her boyfriend tickled her to the point where she could hardly breathe. He paused and waited for her to gasp for air, and as soon as she did he continued to tickle her, grinning like an idiot.

.

Rikku's ears twitched at the giggling and she smiled again. It was so good to see those two so happy, but at the same time, it made Rikku miss Jecht even more. She barely had time to worry though, because after a few mere seconds Sonic stumbled into the living room with Amy clinging to his back and covering his eyes. He turned his head in effort to spy on his surroundings but Amy kept one arm around his neck to keep her from falling and the other firmly across his eyes. She giggled as he staggered further into the room.

The male hedgehog slowly pried Amy's arm away to peek and Rikku and grinned. "Oh hi, Rikku!"

The cat laughed. "Hello," she chuckled. She decided it was better to be distracted by her friends than to be thinking about anything else.

.

A sudden knock on the front door brought the three to attention and Amy slid off her boyfriend's back to run and answer it. Sonic strolled after her but Rikku stayed curled up on the couch, listening to see who it was. A young but boyish voice drifted into the room and she deciphered it as being Tails. Amy beamed at the fox in the doorway, mainly because of the girl with whom he was holding hands.

.

Beside the boy was Cosmo, and both preteens were blushing slightly. Cosmo greeted her friends as Tails did the same. "Hi, Amy. Hi, Sonic," she smiled.

Tails straightened. "We were wondering if you wanted to come to the movies with us."

Amy clasped her hands together and let out a shrill cheer. "Are you two on a _date_?" she cried, her eyes shining.

The younger couple shifted awkwardly and the fox turned to the girl beside him. "Erm... I guess so," he admitted, smiling shyly at her.

.

Sonic chuckled at Amy's typical thirst for romance and stepped in to try and tone things down a bit. "A trip to the movies, huh? Sounds cool. You up for it, Amy?"

But the pink hedgehog had already clasped his hand and was off in her own fantasies, giggling dreamily. "It'll be like a _double _date! And we can sit in pairs and watch a love movie to set the scene and it will be so _romantic_..."

Sonic shook his head, still smiling. He briefly let go of Amy's hand and turned back into the living room to grin at Rikku. "You wanna come, too?" he asked her.

.

The cat glanced up at him, clearly interrupted from thought and quickly shook her head. She smiled at his kindness. "No, thanks," she said. "It's nice of you to ask, but I'd rather stay home."

It was just at that moment when Sonic picked up on the sadness in her eyes. He stepped closer to her and crouched so that he was at her level. "Hey," he said. "You okay? Is something bothering ya?"

Rikku shook her head again. "I'm fine."

"Okay. But... I mean, if you wanna talk to me or Amy about something, you can, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Sonic."

"No prob. See ya later, Rikku." He pushed himself to his feet and walked out again, before leaving with his three other friends.

.

Rikku heard the front door close and watched them walk down the path before letting her smile slowly fall. She twirled her thumbs in effort to keep her mind from drifting to Jecht and what they'd said. She'd felt amazing one second, and heart-broken the next. She hadn't really been expecting for Jecht to confess to her, or at least not so quickly. She'd been in such high spirits, only to have the dream smashed in front of her.

How could it have gone so wrong? she thought hopelessly.

.

It had seemed that for one second she and Jecht had made a breakthrough; they'd both confessed their feelings and she'd been sure that it would be plain sailing from then onwards. That one small part of their lives had been nothing but a beacon of trust in the future. Her hopes had been set at the highest point, but she hadn't expected the fall. She hadn't been prepared for the plummet into long-term sadness.

I can't go on like this, she thought. This just isn't like me. I need to find a distraction; I can't stay sad forever.

.

The lilac cat slowly got to her feet, deciding to go for a walk in the hopes of clearing her mind. But where could she go? Rikku dithered for a moment. She picked up her spare keys for the house and sighed.

Anywhere.

She left the house, closing the door behind her, and walked off in the direction of the woods. The crisp, fallen leaves crumbled under her boots as she strode into the trees. She crossed her arms to try and conserve the warmth that was leaving her body in the chilly autumn air. It was surprising how quickly the summer months had passed and there was a significant difference in temperature already. Rikku paced a little faster, but still she had no idea of where she was going. She let her mind drift as her legs moved absent-mindedly, taking her further into the trees.

.

She thought about that night again. She thought about Jecht and what he'd said to her. She thought about how long it could take for her to feel okay again: a long time. Her legs took her past the same part of woods in which she'd been speaking with him less than a month ago. She could practically see herself and Jecht, standing hand in hand, about to close the door on their relationship. She tore her gaze away, looking down at her pacing feet as they took her out of the dense foliage and into a clearing. The leafy shadow beneath her seeped away as the sun could finally reach the ground without being intercepted by the trees.

.

Looking up, she scanned the area, recognising the familiar layout of the clearing. The few scattered benches were dotted about the landscape and the morning mist hung around the mountain peaks. She wasn't surprised. It was half-expected for her to find herself in Silver Valley again. She was drawn to it, half-hoping that he would be there. But he wasn't.

Of course he isn't here, Rikku. Did you really expect him to be?

Oh, but she did. She felt as though he just _had _to be there. But another glance around the reserve left her with the same empty results. Her heart sank as she let out a small puff of air, gently ruffling her bangs. There was no point in staying there, she decided.

.

She turned away and trudged onwards, towards the other end of the reserve. Her eyes remained on her feet once again, and she scuffed the heels of her ebony boots into the dirt, watching tiny clouds of mist erupt and cover her shoes. A pair of voices reached her ears and she stopped, familiar with the sound. One was gruff, but oddly cheerful: male, she noted. The other was smooth and more feminine, and Rikku recognised the two instantly. She looked up, and sure enough Knuckles and Rouge were sitting on the grass not far away from her. She smiled in spite of herself, but didn't move towards them. She watched quietly as the two laughed and kissed each other.

.

They looked so blissfully happy, clearly without a care. She didn't even know they were a couple but that wasn't what caught her attention. She was pleased for them, of course, but she longed to be how they looked right then. Happy, and _with_ someone. She walked softly past them without disturbing the bat and the echidna, and made her way further into town, unsure of where to go. Home was beginning to look like the better option.

[***]

Tails reached for another handful of popcorn, blushing when his hands brushed against Cosmo's. She smiled shyly at him and squeezed his hand. He returned the favour, and stared into her light blue eyes. He suddenly felt something small and light hit his head and the moment was broken. What was that anyway? A small popcorn piece gave him the answer as another one flew at him. He leaned forward, looking down the row of seats at the offender, who was pulling a silly grin.

Sonic laughed. "This movie needs a little more action," he grinned, and reached for another when Amy sent him the warning look.

Tails shook his head, smiling in amusement. Sonic wouldn't act up while Amy was around.

.

His eyes drifted back to the large screen which was currently showing a close up of one of the characters. Tails watched the male on screen, realising that this particular actor reminded him of Jecht the Hedgehog. It was odd that the past friend came into his mind but he let the image stay. Jecht was their enemy now. Well, he always had been, Tails knew, but he wasn't at first. Not to Tails. The fox didn't tell Sonic for obvious reasons but he'd actually quite liked Jecht. The two had got on well and it seemed that Jecht relaxed his 'act' when talking to the younger boy. He'd helped Tails with his inventions and was just friendly in general. And no matter what had happened, Tails couldn't help but feel that Jecht wasn't really as bad as he seemed. He hadn't harmed anyone, had he? In a way, the fox missed the green male.

.

They'd become close enough for Tails to call him a friend and he almost felt a little sorry for him. It couldn't be nice working for Eggman.

But then Jecht _had_ kidnapped one of Tails' friends. He frowned slightly. Did that really define him as a person? Tails didn't know. All he did know was that Jecht wasn't a friend anymore. It was lucky that Rikku escaped. He didn't know how she'd done it; she didn't even have a map of the base and she'd gotten out so quickly in the time that they'd taken to fly there.

.

Then there were the security measures. How could she have gotten past them all? Forgetting that, how could she even have gotten out of her cell in the first place? Tails pondered it for a moment. Amy had gotten help from a robot when she'd been captured; perhaps Rikku had done the same. But it had been so long since then; surely Eggman would have upgraded his robots so that they were resistant to emotion? Tails was sure that even Eggman wouldn't have let that happen. None of his employees had the ability to feel, apart from Jecht of course.

.

Tails gasped. Could it be that Jecht had been the one to free her? Solutions suddenly clicked into place in his mind as the past few days began to make a little more sense. Rikku had been different as of late, almost sad, and nobody knew why. But, with Jecht... if there was something there... Tails looked at his friends who were engrossed in the film. What would Sonic say to that? And what if Tails was just jumping to conclusions? Maybe. But it did seem to make a lot of things clear.

No, Tails, don't make a prediction until the logic's behind you, he reminded himself.

He set the thoughts aside, letting himself get absorbed into the movie once more. He might discuss it with someone like Cosmo later. It was probably just a hunch.

If only he knew how right he'd been.

* * *

**Dum dum dumm... :P lol Sonic throwing popcorn ^_^  
Quick notes: -Yes, Cosmo is alive in my stories in case you don't remember. Its not like I ignore the Sonic X plot its just that she survives and yay ^_^  
- I have added a bit to the little Knouge part in chapter 7, please take a gander if you will. You don't have to but things will be a little clearer.  
- I have added a Knouge scene to chapter 10. Okay you dont have to look at 7 but 10 you _do_ need to! There was some confusion about whether they were together or not and yes they are now. I changed the summary to fix it as well.**

**So yeah please take a lookey at that.. anyways erm thanks for reading this chapter. Things _will_ get more exciting, well, dramatic too but ... you'll have to wait and find out ;)  
Please review, if you choose not to, I will feel blue, and then trouble for you! lol random rhyme but yeah..**


	13. The Beginning of the End

**Okay, this is probably the longest amount of time that I've ever left between updates. So I'm sorry. Thank you to _kizzie, TrumpetGirl818, SilverDawn2010, Delta 2-1, Constanza Rose, SugarhogRose _and _IHeartSonAmy_**

* * *

**Chapter 13 – The Beginning of the End**

"Well, I liked the part where they kissed at the end," said Amy.

Sonic chuckled. "Of course _you_ would," he said. He'd enjoyed the movie, but perhaps the romance was a little too mushy. Besides, he had his own romance, and that was enough for him. He glanced upwards, noticing a few dark, wispy clouds begin to emerge, and frowned. It looked like a storm could be on the way.

.

They made their way up the path of Amy's house and he reluctantly let his arm fall from around his girlfriend's shoulders. She knocked on the front door, waiting for Rikku to answer it. Tails and Cosmo stood behind them, ready to leave once their friend was safely inside her house. The door clicked open to reveal Rikku and she smiled, opening it wider for them to enter. The two hedgehogs were about to step inside when all of a sudden, a small, hovering television screen zoomed down from the sky and paused right in Sonic's face.

.

The mechanical, whirring sound and technical design instantly gave away the creator of such an object and Sonic frowned at the device before him.

"Eggman," he muttered.

As soon as the evil doctor's name was mentioned, his face appeared on the screen, ridiculous moustache and all. His navy goggles gleamed as the overweight man began to chuckle wickedly. "Good afternoon, Sonic. I trust you're having a wonderful time. Well, good for you," he sneered in his oh-so-polite voice.

.

His malicious grin spread further across his face. "You'd better enjoy it because it won't last long! This message is an invitation. How about a little get-together at my place? I have a new toy to show you, Sonic, and then perhaps we'll have a play date!"

The blue hero rolled his eyes at the terrible puns. They wouldn't ever stop, would they? "Why bother?" he said, faking a bored yawn. "You know that this toy of yours is gonna be trashed the second you show it to me."

.

Eggman scowled. "Well, we'll just see about that, Mr. Big-shot! Why don't you give it a try?" he sneered. "If you don't show up, I'll come and see you anyway, and I'll bring my machine and I'll destroy the whole of Mobius! You know where my airship is, so I'd come soon, Sonic. I expect you here in an hour."

With that, the hovering screen exploded, scattering ash and tiny embers everywhere. The five friends covered their eyes and cried out in alarm. Sonic stood with his arms out in front of them, protecting them all. The small, black haze slowly faded as the smoke disappeared from the air. They glanced up again, relieved.

.

Sonic forced a grin and rubbed his nose. "Looks like we're paying old Eggy a visit!" he declared. "Hey, Tails, get the X-Tornado fired up!"

"Got it!"

The team sprung into action, helping to prepare the plane and fussing over what Eggman could have made. Rikku locked the house and ran over to join them, feeling partly excited. "Amy, I'm coming too, right?" she breathed.

"Of course!" said Amy.

"Great!"

.

Meanwhile, Tails was trying to contact Knuckles and Rouge on his wrist-comm without much luck. He tapped the redial button again and was greeted with the same static tone from before. He sighed and bit his lip in worry, and his blue orbs scanned over the screen again. What could they do if Knuckles and Rouge didn't show up? They were good fighters and without them it would be difficult. Of course Tails had no way of knowing what Eggman could possibly be up to but he was more nervous than usual. He couldn't help but feel that the villain's latest crazy scheme would be different and they wouldn't be prepared for it.

.

Just as he was about to try and contact Knuckles again, soft footsteps could be heard in the doorway and he turned to see their owner. Cosmo smiled shyly and walked over to him.

"Hello, Tails," she said.

"Hi, Cosmo."

"You look troubled."

"Well, I guess I am. I can't get through to Knuckles or Rouge and I really think it would be best if we had some extra back-up."

Cosmo looked worried. "Do you really think it will be that bad? We should be fine, shouldn't we?"

Tails turned so that he was completely facing her and he could see every detail on her lovely face. "Hopefully. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. But Cosmo, please can you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

.

The fox intensified his gaze. "I want you to promise not to come with us today," he said softly.

Cosmo was surprised. "Why not?"

"I just think that this battle is going to be a lot more... difficult than the others," he said. Then he looked down and blushed. "I... I don't want you to get hurt, Cosmo. I really care about you, and I hope you don't mind but I really think it's better if you stay here."

She smiled, her own cheeks turning a little pink. "Tails... That's really sweet of you," she said.

"You're not mad, are you?"

"Of course not. Thank you for caring."

"That's alright," he said, his tails swishing happily. "Thanks for listening to me. So it's a promise?"

She entwined her pinky finger with his. "A promise."

...***...

Just as the _X-Tornado_ was fully prepared for take-off, a distant rumble came from the sky and Sonic glanced up again. Aw, not _this_, he thought.

The sky was smothered in thick, dark clouds and rain was beginning to fall from them. He blinked as a raindrop fell into his eye. This couldn't be good flying weather, but they had no choice. It looked pretty likely that a storm was coming and then what about poor Tails? He'd have trouble piloting but Sonic had faith in him. One thing was for sure though. Sonic was _not_ sitting outside of the plane this time. Ugh, the thought of getting wet made him wince.

.

The sound of hurried footsteps made him turn around as the rest of the incomplete team ran up to the plane. He moved closer to Tails. "Still couldn't get Knuckles?" he asked.

"Or Rouge," replied Tails. His eyes were wide with worry.

Sonic put a hand on his shoulder. "No sweat, buddy," he said firmly. "We can handle old Egghead without them." His reassurance seemed to help his little brother, but he couldn't help thinking that maybe it was partly false. Sonic was hardly ever worried. Nothing fazed him, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that the battle ahead would have a more sinister outcome than expected. He shrugged off the thought. It was only a tiny hunch anyway, and perhaps the weather was putting him off. After all, his team could pull through anything. His ears stiffened as another distant rumble resounded in the air and he looked at Tails.

.

As expected, the fox had tensed himself and was staring at the sky in fear. Tails swallowed, forcing his gaze onto the plane beside him. "I didn't know there was a storm," he murmured to himself. His concerned mumbling was just loud enough for his hedgehog brother to hear.

"We're gonna make it okay," Sonic assured him.

He nodded, still not daring to look anyone in the eye for fear of them seeing how scared he was. I'll do this for Cosmo, he thought. I can do it!

.

They climbed into the aircraft, sealing the cover behind them. Sonic sat in the seat behind Tails, mainly as a reassurance if needed, and of course Amy sat behind him with Rikku in the back. The pink hedgehog moved forward and poked her head in the gap between the seats in front of her to smile at her boyfriend.

"Hey," she said.

He grinned at her. "Hey."

"I wanted to give you something for luck."

"Really? What is it?"

"This," she giggled, and kissed him.

He kissed her back, caressing her lips with his own. Amy could almost feel Sonic grinning as she pulled back to smile at him. He winked.

"I'm feeling luckier already," he said. She breathed a laugh and turned back into her seat, fastening her safety belt for the journey ahead.

.

Rikku did the same, but unlike her hedgehog friend, she was filled with a giddy excitement. Of course a battle against Eggman wasn't something she'd out-rightly ask for, but it wasn't all bad either. As the engines whirred into life and the plane sped across the runway and into the air, all she could think of was that she was going to see Jecht again. He would be there. She'd thought that it was all over but now they had another chance to sort things out! But only if they could go somewhere in private, of course, which she prayed would be possible.

.

Images of his tanned muzzle swept across her mind. She thought of his misty-lilac eyes and his grin that made her weak at the knees. All of these things she had a chance to see again. Rikku smiled. They'd be reunited, at _last_. There was no telling what would happen after that. Things would probably take a turn for the better, right? She was sure that only good would come from this.

But it seemed that she hadn't even considered how naive she was being.

.

The journey to the base was a difficult one, with numerous claps of thunder that literally rocked the entire aircraft. Poor Tails winced with each deafening rumble as he struggled to keep control of the plane. Sonic would ask if he was okay, shouting encouragement as the _X-Tornado_ shook with the pressure, slowly making its way towards Dr. Eggman's base. With every flash of lightening that streaked across the blackened sky, Rikku's excitement lessened, being replaced with fear. She clutched the sides of her seat, biting her lip.

It'll be okay, she told herself. Everything will be fine. I just need to see Jecht again.

.

Aside from the comforting calls to the young pilot, the passengers remained silent, weighed down by the tension. As their arch nemesis' airship came into view, the situation seemed to grow in scale. Tails gritted his teeth as he attempted to land, desperately trying to ignore the mass of sudden worries that attacked his mind. They were fairly limited in numbers, and the battle was fierce enough the last time, even with Knuckles and Rouge. But now they were without them, and they had absolutely no plan, no strategies and no idea of what would happen.

.

Tails wiped his brow as the _X-Tornado_ was finally in a safe position to swoop downwards and the wheels came into contact with the metallic surface of the open-top airship. It landed, skidding along for a couple of seconds until finally coming to a halt. He let out a breath that he didn't even know he'd been holding as the engines slowed to a stop and they were free to climb out. Sonic was the first to hop out, giving Tails a pat on the back. He waited until the others were out to speak.

"Okay, guys," he said, his tone fairly serious. "The second we step inside those doors, the battle starts. Even though Eggman will probably try to bore us to death with a monologue, we gotta be on guard. So are we ready?"

Amy nodded fiercely and Rikku did the same. Tails forced a determined look.

"Let's go!" he said.

.

The four heroes ran to the entrance, pausing at the huge double doors. They seemed even taller than they were before, with the same insignia of their enemy engraved into the metal. Sonic grinned.

"Let's get on his good side and use the doors this time. We don't want him exploding before we get a chance to do some robot-destroying!" he grinned, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand.

With that, they burst into the base, finding themselves in a very familiar position. A harsh cackle resounded through the hollow building as Dr. Eggman entered the room in his usual motorised seat.

.

The evil scientist entwined his fingers together, sizing up each of his opponents. "Well, well, well," he hissed. "Doesn't this look familiar?"

Sonic assumed his fighting stance. "Yeah, except I left your wall in one piece this time! You happy?"

"Oh I'm most grateful," Eggman replied, a sinister grin conquering his features. "So I suppose I ought to leave you with a treat as well, shouldn't I?" His eyes narrowed further as he chuckled in a way that would send shivers down the spines of even the bravest of soldiers. "Well, I promised you a new challenge and here it is." He clicked his fingers and a sudden, mechanical rumbling echoed out from edge of his control panel.

.

A large shadow emerged upwards, causing the whole building to quake. It rose to almost three times Sonic's height and stopped, leaving small dust clouds where the ground had split open. As the heroes uncovered their eyes, they realised it was a very technical-looking cannon: the same one that Sonic had thought was the eclipse cannon. The blue hedgehog stared at it. Then he resumed his cocky smirk.

"This is your big secret weapon?" he teased. "I've seen these before, Egghead, it's nothing new!"

.

The evil doctor just grinned wider. "This model is a very special one," he said. "It is specially designed to track whomever I wish to eradicate, no matter how speedy they may be. It can travel at speeds that match its victim and overpowers them, and all it needs is the push of a button."

Sonic shook his head, wagging his finger at his foe. "Looks like you've forgotten a little detail, Eggbutt," he said. "I'm the fastest thing alive. I could run 'round this place hundreds of times before your finger even reaches that button."

"So then how about a little distraction? Let's say, hmm, I don't know, maybe... another army of improved missile drones?"

.

At another press of a button, the walls lifted once again to reveal what appeared to be hundreds of robots similar to the ones he'd made before, but their eyes gleamed red and their missiles for arms seemed to glow. Their bodies now possessed a black circle that reminded Sonic all too much of an old adversary, as well as their claw-like hands. He frowned, observing the new look.

He muttered to himself, "They look almost like-"

.

Metal Sonic suddenly raced into the room and straight to Dr. Eggman, listening intently to orders. The heroes gaped in shock at the appearance of their old nemesis, apart from Rikku who had of course been aware of its existence. Eggman whispered commands into the robot's audio sensors before sending it away again.

Sonic stared. "That was-"

"Metal Sonic, yes," Eggman grinned. "But he's more of a helper for now, as well as a basis for my other creations," he said, gesturing to the hideous, metal army behind him. "I think that things are going to get a little more interesting now, don't you agree, Sonic? Are you up to the challenge?"

Sonic regained his confident pose. "We'll handle anything you dish out!"

...

"You weren't starting the party without us, were you?"

Everyone turned to see Knuckles and Rouge standing behind their friends, smirks across their faces.

Rouge winked. "We were beginning to think we weren't invited."

Sonic gave them a thumbs-up while Tails and Amy smiled in relief. Rikku nodded at them, though her mind was elsewhere.

Eggman clenched his fists but was still unfazed. "Now that everyone is here... we can begin," he said darkly.

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter isn't up to scratch.. I'm not so sure with this one. But we're nearing the end now... :') Thanks for reading so far, and please review.**


	14. Twist of Fate

**Thank you, _TrumpetGirl818, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX _and _dreamgrl95._**

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Twist of Fate**

Dr. Eggman snapped his fingers once more and sudden, deep clangs emitted from the robots as they jerked into life, revving up and preparing for battle. In seconds, they advanced on Sonic and his friends, who were ready. The battle had begun. Sonic held his position at the front of the group, holding off as many robots as he could with his spin-dashes. Knuckles stood closely behind him, throwing his fists into anything that came his way, with Rouge defending by his side. She attacked in a series of graceful kicks as she swerved to avoid the metal henchmen. Tails hovered above the battle, fervently searching for a way to disarm the huge cannon that Eggman seemed to be controlling.

.

The villainous doctor was rapidly tapping buttons on the cannon, as if to set it up. Tails flew closer to get a better look, only to see that the machine's end was glowing. Eggman was chuckling evilly to himself. It was charged up, ready to fire, and it was pointed directly at Sonic. He gasped and tried to yell to the hedgehog but Amy had already noticed. She leapt forward just as the cannon fired. It ejected a fiercely bright beam of sheer power and she thrust her hammer in front of it. She clenched her teeth as the force of the shot tore through her mallet, shattering it into pieces and sending her to the floor. She struggled to get up, quickly summoning another hammer. Sonic was calling to her, though for a moment his face was just a blur.

"Amy!" he shouted. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, though slightly shaken.

.

Once Sonic was satisfied that she was alright he turned back to his own problems, fighting off the robots while trying to keep an eye on the cannon. It was proving to be a difficult task. Eggman continued to fire it and his friends blocked it each time, but they were weakening. Everyone was so involved with the fight that they didn't notice Rikku at the back of the crowd, looking suddenly panicked. She held a fist to her chest, as if to slow her racing heart. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Jecht might not be there. She hadn't considered that she might actually have to try and fight off these mechanical creatures. What could she do? She had no weapons and her physical skills weren't exactly her strength. Her frightened eyes darted around the room, rifling through the layers of enemies in search of a green hedgehog. He wasn't there. She searched again, becoming more worried by the second.

Oh, please be here, Jecht, she thought desperately. Where are you?

.

Her thoughts were broken off as she noticed a small group of robots advancing on her. Their eyes flashed as they moved closer and she shrank backwards in fear. Her heat pounded harder, stifling her breathing. She couldn't think what to do. A sudden pair of arms locked themselves around her from behind. Her mind was flooded with alarm until she noticed that the person holding her wasn't cold or metallic, they were warm. She twisted her head back to look at her captor and had to fight a relieved smile. Pastel-lilac eyes met with her own lime ones that lit up with recognition. She'd finally seen him again.

.

"Jecht," she whispered.

His expression was firmly set, but Rikku could see the softness hidden behind his barriers. He held her arms behind her back. "Pretend I'm fighting you," he hissed into her ear, trying not to move his lips.

She understood immediately and attempted to struggle out of his grip. He nodded at the robots.

"I've got this one," he said to them, forcing aggression into his voice. "Take care of the others."

The metal fighters registered this and rushed back into battle, aiding their team against the heroes.

.

Jecht stood still for a moment, watching the battle. All attention seemed to be diverted from them. He quickly released her arms, and grabbing one hand he whispered, "Let's go." Then he ran.

Rikku clutched his hand tighter in effort to keep up as they scaled the border of the huge room. They rushed into one of the narrow corridors, running through several passages until Jecht was sure that they were completely out of sight. He slowed to a stop, leaving Rikku panting behind him. He turned to her and she smiled, and he found himself doing the same.

.

As soon as she'd regained her breath Rikku threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She buried her face into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist, happy to have her close to him again.

"I missed you so much," she breathed.

"I missed you too," he murmured, resting his chin on her head. It felt so right to have her back his arms; he never wanted to let her go.

"It's been so hard these past weeks," she said. "I didn't think I could handle it." She pulled back to look him in the eye. "We can't go on like this, Jecht."

He said nothing, deep in thought.

"It's too hard. We have to go back out there," she said.

Jecht's eyes widened in surprise. "Rikku-"

"We need to stop them fighting before someone gets seriously hurt."

He shook his head. "No. It's not that easy. If Eggman finds out that-"

.

A sudden metallic clang brought the cat and hedgehog to attention and they whipped round to see Metal Sonic watching them. They froze.

"_Data collected,_" he said in his monotone. "_Reporting to Dr. Eggman_." He spun round, firing up his jet pack, and with that he zoomed back down the corridor, toward the main hangar where the battle was taking place.

Jecht swore. He dropped Rikku's hands and tore after the robot as fast as he could. She raced after him, suddenly feeling sick with worry. By a cruel twist of fate, everything seemed to be going horribly wrong. They sprinted through the maze of corridors and back into the hangar, seconds too late.

.

As they skidded to a halt, they saw Metal Sonic reaching Dr. Eggman's side. The villain was angry enough already, as he was clearly losing the battle with few robots left standing. Sonic and his friends had trashed nearly all of them. Defeat was inevitable. He turned to Metal Sonic, a scowl on his face. As he listened to what the robot had seen, his scowl disappeared. His expression unfathomable, he slowly pressed the button that called off the robots. Sonic and his team stared in surprise. A deathly silence gripped the air as all fighting ceased. Jecht swallowed. For some reason Eggman was a lot more threatening without a scowl.

.

Nobody said a word for what seemed like hours. Sonic stared between Jecht and Eggman, unable to understand what on earth was going on. Both Rikku and Jecht looked horrified as they watched the evil mastermind. Eggman didn't even look at either at them. He stared down his control panel. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and laced with a sinister calmness.

"So you've betrayed me, Jecht," he hissed.

Jecht felt himself tense.

"You came to me, looking for a job and I gave it to you. You failed me. Then I gave you another assignment. I was generous by giving you a second chance. But you failed me again. And not only that, but it turns out that you actually went behind my back and deceived me."

.

Jecht felt a vice of panic grip at his stomach. He felt the situation slip out of his control and he needed to get it back. But he was out of ideas. "Dr. Eggman, if you'll j-just give me a chance to explain-"

"Oh, you're going to explain to me, are you?" said Dr. Eggman. "You're going to explain how you failed to kidnap someone twice, and how you then _accidentally_ let them get away? Perhaps you'd care to explain about the lies that you told?" he continued slowly, still staring down at his control panel. "You didn't think about what you were doing, did you Jecht? You didn't consider the consequences of falling for the enemy."

.

Sonic's team were shocked. They stared at Jecht and Rikku, and suddenly everything began to make a little more sense. Tails observed them both, going over his thoughts. He should've known that his suspicions would be confirmed.

Jecht had never been more uneasy in his life. He was perched on a very fragile line, and anything he said could flip the whole situation to a new level. He clenched his fists, wracking his brain for something to say but his mind was empty.

.

The silence lingered on, and the tension in the room only grew. It was suddenly broken as Eggman slammed his fist down.

"You thought you could turn against me, Jecht?" he snarled, still frighteningly calm. He finally turned to face his employee. All of a sudden, his expression took on a more aggressive state. His eyes flashed as a rush of fury overtook his face "WELL MAYBE THIS WILL MAKE YOU THINK AGAIN!" He stabbed a few buttons and the cannon redirected itself to aim directly at Rikku.

.

Jecht felt his heart caught in his throat and he froze in dread. Eggman wouldn't do that. He wouldn't, surely. "No," he whispered, afraid to even move, his eyes locked onto the cannon.

The hole at the end of the huge machine suddenly glowed as it had before and his heart thumped harder. In seconds, a deafening boom erupted from the cannon as the laser beam ripped through the air. It happened so fast that Jecht could hardly catch hold of his thoughts. There was a blinding flash. A scream. And a yell that came from his own throat.

"No! RIKKU!"

.

The flash was gone just in time to see the shot send her crashing into the wall with such a force that clouds of dust shot out from the new cracks made on it. Her limp body collapsed to the ground, and once again there was silence. The heroes could do nothing but stare at the fallen cat, horrified. Jecht ran to her side, almost tripping over his feet in his haste. He dropped to her level, shaking.

.

Amy held her hands to her mouth in shock. "Oh my gosh. _Rikku_," she choked.

Sonic clenched his fists, glaring at his enemy. He was trembling with anger. "You've gone way too far, Eggman!" he shouted. "Threatening to attack the city is one thing but you've just taken this to a whole new level!" He curled him into a spindash and aimed for the control panel. Then he launched at it. His quills tore into the metal, scattering sparks in every direction. The wires inside the panel split and began to crackle as the circuit was broken. It fizzed and the piercing sound of metal being slashed resounded through the base, growing louder with every second. Quick, sudden flashes of electricity added to the long-term crackling. His friends flinched away from it.

.

Sonic finally stopped spinning and jumped back onto his feet, watching his handiwork. The electric snapping intensified and he covered his eyes. A sudden, harsh light began to grow from the centre of the destroyed control panel, as the cannon began to spark as well. Eggman cried out in alarm and jumped away from the huge device, fleeing the room and heading for the maze of corridors. Sonic felt more than compelled to follow his enemy but restrained himself, moving back from the panel. The light was growing from it and a metallic scent found his nostrils.

"Everyone, get back!" he shouted.

.

He stepped backward again, holding his arms out to protect his friends. The light was now so strong that he had to close his eyes. The control panel and the cannon exploded, letting out a bang so loud that their ears were attacked with a throbbing pain. A wave of extreme heat blew at them and then died down, followed by a scatter of ash. Debris was flung in every direction as the two mechanical stations were literally torn apart with the explosion. They split into pieces and spread out across the base, crashing into the walls. Only when the control panel was reduced to a pile of blackened dust did the noise die down. Only then did the light disappear and the crashing ceased.

.

The five friends cautiously opened their eyes. The damaged remains of the cannon were shrouded by thick, black trails of smoke that left a dark, hazy tinge in the air. It clogged their noses, filling them with a sharp, dirty smell. They cleared their throats and squinted to observe the damage done. A trace of a smile played across their faces as they noted the destroyed controls of what was one of the most awful creations that Eggman had ever made. But then they turned around, remembering their hurt friend, and the smiles were gone in an instant.

.

The dirty smoke was slowly disintegrating, revealing the cat and the hedgehog at the very edge of the room. Sonic felt his stomach drop as he stared at them. There was yet another silence. It was clear by the way that Jecht was cradling Rikku in her arms that she was more than just injured. The dead air lingered on, and after a while the sobs of Jecht could be heard echoing softly. Amy felt tears building up in her eyes. She sniffed and ran over to her fallen friend, followed by Tails. Sonic walked after them slowly, a serious look on his face. Knuckles and Rouge went beside him, watching his solemn expression. They knew that there were few times when he wore that face. He stood quietly behind Amy, giving her hand a squeeze. She was crying, trying to hold back her hitched breaths. He knew that Amy was the closest person to Rikku compared to anyone else. And he'd thought of Rikku as a close friend as well; he and Tails had been with Amy when they'd met her.

.

Tails remained behind Jecht, unsure of what to do. They'd been fairly close before Tails had found out about Jecht's betrayal but of course circumstances had changed. And yet it turned out that the hedgehog had become so close with Rikku that he'd apparently fallen for her. When had this all happened? Tails said nothing, watching his old friend, almost wishing he could comfort him but feeling deeply upset himself. Knuckles kept his arm around Rouge, looking down sadly. Even they had tears in their eyes as they regarded the two people on the floor.

.

Although each person in the room was partly lost in their own thoughts, they were all horribly aware that they were losing a friend. As they crowded around behind the hedgehog and the cat, they watched Rikku, willing her to open her eyes.

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**A/N: At least I updated quicker this time ^_^'. I tried to make this a fairly powerful chapter, I'm just not sure if it came across that way. I'm not going to say anything about the plot, you'll just have to wait and see. ;) All I am saying is that the last chapter will probably be the last one, aside from an epilogue, so I hope you enjoy it (when it's done).  
But please, if you kindly review, I'd prefer it you told me what you liked/disliked, if something made you laugh, smile, or even cry, tell me. Or if you thought something was weird or out of place/character, please tell me that rather than just telling me to update. I don't mind you saying that of course but please remember that reviews are about feedback. :) So thank you. I really appreciate everyone who reads and reviews this story. :)**


	15. The Legend of the Soulmates

**Oh my gosh. I cannot say how sorry I am for not updating. I know you guys don't care for my excuses so I'll cut to the chase. I lost my inspiration and suddenly got it back again. Hopefully this finale to the story will make up for it. Thank you to _Skyelara, TrumpetGirl818 _and _Delta 2-1_ for reviewing and a massive thank you to everyone who's reading this story even now.  
One more thing, I would be so utterly grateful if you could possibly re-read some of the past chapters. Only briefly, just to refresh your memory. I mean, I had to re-read the whole thing before writing again :P. Thanks again, and enjoy the next part of Sinister Soulmates!**

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**Chapter 15 ****– The Legend of the Soulmates**

Fear. That was all that Jecht felt while he held Rikku in his arms. The very thought of losing her made his whole world come to a standstill. His heart thundered in his chest, making him almost choke on every breath. She felt so delicate and fragile in his arms; his nerves were on edge just by holding her. Her chest slowly rose and fell in time with her soft breathing, which was so faint Jecht couldn't even hear it. He gritted his teeth in effort to control his shaky breaths as he watched her face, praying to see her beautiful lime green eyes once more.

.

Rikku could barely feel a thing as her heavy eyelids struggled to open. Her vision of Jecht's face above hers was slowly becoming clearer, and her disorientated mind fought to get around the situation. The first thing she realised was that he was crying. Her Jecht was actually _crying_, cradling her head close to his. Tears were streaming down his face as he looked at her through anguished eyes. She tried to move but winced in pain.

"Say something to me, Rikku," he whispered.

She opened her mouth, pausing to try and breathe in. It came out as a trembling gasp of air, and she winced again. "I... I feel so... numb," she said weakly.

.

Jecht bit his lip for a second, barely noticing yet another tear cascade down his face. "No!" he hissed. "No you don't! Don't talk like that!"

Rikku's eyes were still heavy as she forced them to stay open and watch him. "Tell Amy a-and the others that I s-said-"

"Tell them yourself!" Jecht cried. His voice was quivering as he became more distressed. "They're right here, and you're not going anywhere! You're strong, Rikku. You'll make it through this."

She stared into his eyes, lightly shaking her head. Her own eyes were suddenly more difficult to keep open. At least the pain was seeping away, leaving her body with a faint chill. She didn't even recognise any feeling anymore as the numbness conquered her, and she shakily lifted her arm to his cheek with as much energy as she could muster. "I- I'm sorry," she breathed. "I love you, Jecht."

.

She felt herself fading. Her mind began to slip away as everything slowed to a stop. The image of Jecht's crying face before her started to dim before vanishing into blackness as her eyes closed. The connection between them, the one that had started it all, was wavering as it began to shut down. Jecht could only watch in horror as Rikku's eyes shut and the gentle ripple of her breathing finally ceased. Time seemed to morph into a sickening phase of slow-motion, as her arm dropped from his cheek and back into her lap. Already, her lilac fur looked paler. Once again, the room was thrown into a nauseating silence.

.

Amy held her hands over her mouth to quieten her sobs. She turned back to Sonic to bury her head into his chest, crying into his fur. He held her firmly, his own eyes becoming watery. Knuckles kept his arm around Rouge as they both blinked back tears. Tails wiped his eyes as he stood awkwardly behind Jecht, still unsure of what to do. He bit his lip as tears climbed down his cheeks.

.

Jecht stared. He couldn't seem to move, he could only stare into Rikku's face. His racing pulse seemed to slow until he could no longer hear it. The sound of his rough and unsettled breathing slipped from his mind, replaced with nothingness. All he could see was the girl in his arms. Rikku; his friend, his lover, his soulmate; was gone. He could never again see her sparkling green orbs, or hear her laugh that always made his heart skip a beat. Her life had been snatched away in an instant, and all because of a single mistake.

.

Jecht's mind began to fill with the memories of the past months, each one involving her. He tried desperately to latch onto each one as if they would suddenly disappear along with her life. His eyes brimmed over with tears, completely clouding his vision, but he was so numb he couldn't even think to blink them away. What would he do without her? How could he possibly live his life without the one who'd made it all worthwhile? It just felt wrong. The pieces didn't fit anymore; nothing made sense. Rikku was... dead. And it hit him like a ton of bricks.

.

Suddenly the numbness was gone, but instead Jecht could now hear his ragged breathing and his heartbeat that slammed into his chest, shortening his breaths. He closed his watery eyes, forcing even more tears to fall. The pain of losing her was setting in, and it gripped onto his tormented heart. He let out a pained sob as his whole body began to shake with anguish. "No," he breathed. "_No, _no NO NO!" He allowed himself to cry his heart out, and his sobs ricocheted inside the room. "Don't you dare die on me, Rikku!" he howled. "Don't you dare! I won't let you!"

.

There was no response. He clung onto her lifeless form, still watching her eyes, willing them open. They didn't. He gritted his teeth as the tears fell faster and the reality of her death shook him to the core. He stayed in that position for a while, until he managed to contain himself a little more. Jecht felt his anger slip away as he forced himself to be calmer. He was exposed to the inevitable truth. He stroked her cheek with the hand that gently held her head, as he remembered what he said he'd do when he found his soulmate. It was with a cruel sense of irony that he realised now was that time.

.

He inhaled another shaky breath, and began to sing very softly to her.

"_Every broken d-dream was just another sign; at some m-moments it seemed I would never have my time." _His voice was so quiet it was almost impossible to hear for anyone standing around him, but that was what he wanted. This song was meant only for Rikku. Although his voice was quivering from his tears, he carried on.

"_And it may have taken a while, but I f-finally discovered what I was searching for,_

_The love that I n-needed was there all along _

_And I found it in... you." _

.

As soon as the last word escaped his lips, he broke down into tears, resting his head against hers. He held her close, rocking her very gently as he cried. He felt his shields come crashing down as well as his composure. He let himself cry as loudly as he needed to; he didn't care about anything else. He was lost without her. His whole world was meaningless if she was no longer in it. She'd taught him so much. She'd shown him that it was okay to release his emotions. She'd been there for him and understood him when nobody else would. And most importantly, she was the one who made him believe in love. Before he'd met Rikku, he'd never believed that he could find someone special in his life, and she'd turned that all around. As he cried for her, he cried for the lifetime spent with her that he could never have.

.

Jecht closed his eyes and kissed her tenderly. All of a sudden, he could once again see that connection between, like a faded golden cord that held together their hearts. It was weak, but still there. Her end was misty and cold, but he focused on it. It was almost as if he was pulling on it, trying to save her soul and bring it back into his life. He willed her to take hold of it, praying that he would feel her in his mind once more. A flame of burning hope sparked inside of him. The Legend of the Soulmates... What if it was powerful enough to overcome death itself? He poured all of his energy into the connection between them, using everything he had to make her hear him.

.

He tried to shout mentally towards her. "_Rikku! I know that you can hear me! I know you can! Come back to me, _please_! Come on, I know you can do it!_" He gritted his teeth and channelled his thoughts harder, faster towards her end of the connection. "_Come on, Rikku, please! I'm not ever going to give up on you, so don't think I will! I'm gonna keep on calling for you, Rikku! Just come back!_" Suddenly he didn't feel so alone. Her part of the golden thread was glowing and losing the cold mist that suffocated it.

.

He spoke again, both mentally and aloud. "Please come back to me, Rikku. I need you so much it's crazy," he whispered. "You're the one who made me believe in The Legend of the Soulmates. You're the one who told me that love is more powerful than anything else, so prove it to me! Don't leave me," he begged. He was broken from the trance as Amy cried out.

"She's breathing again! She's breathing!" she yelled.

.

Jecht finally opened his eyes again and looked at the beautiful girl in his arms. Her body was very slowly moving again, her chest rising and falling as she regained her breath. He held her head to his own and kissed her as tears fell from his eyes all over again. An enormous sense of relief shot through him as he cradled her gently. "I love you, Rikku," he breathed. "You're my soulmate. I can't live without you, don't you know that?" His heart leaped as her eyelids flickered open and she smiled weakly at him.

"Do you always say corny stuff like that?" she said softly.

He kissed her gently, before pulling back again to grin at her through his tears. "Only when you're around to hear it."

* * *

**Fin! Well, I'm gonna do another small chapter just to show how it all works out but that's it for now! Once again I am so sorry for the wait, and I'm just hoping like mad that you won't give up on me :)  
Just in case you don't remember, Jecht said that line about corny stuff back in Eggman's base in chapter 8, so thats why it was repeated :) oh and also, Jecht told Rikku that he'd sing that song when he found his soulmate, in chapter 8 as well. So hopefully that all makes sense.  
Reviews are awesome so please please tell me what you think of this story (ignoring the long update time ^^') and maybe you wanna read over the whole thing? Or maybe I'm pushing it.. sorry.. :P Thanks anyway.**


	16. Epilogue

**YESSSS! I finally finished this baby! :D So yeah this epilogue is quite short but it's really just to let you guys know how everyone's doing after the battle :) Hope you enjoy it.. you're in for a nice little surprise! ;)**

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**Chapter 16 - Epilogue**

Two months had passed since the great battle against Dr. Eggman and most of Sonic's friends had settled back into their normal lives. Eggman had remained inactive ever since and nobody had heard anything from him, allowing them to live in peace. Winter was settling in and most of Mobius was blanketed in snow. Despite the cold, Knuckles and Rouge had become a lot closer and spent almost every day together. Knuckles's temper had simmered down considerably and Rouge was a lot more patient with him than she had been before. They still had the occasional bump in their relationship but they were going strong.

.

Young Cream was as sweet and kind as ever, and she'd even taken a shining to Charmy, with whom she played with more often. Tails and Cosmo had also become inseparable, and as Amy was keen to point out, they were now practically a young couple. Even Vector and Vanilla had become closer. As for Sonic and Amy, they couldn't have been happier together. Of course Amy missed Rikku's company. Since the cat had recovered she'd gone travelling the world with Jecht, as they'd planned. The two of them sent regular postcards to Sonic and Amy, who were now living together in Amy's house.

.

The two hedgehogs were about to read their most recent postcard as the snowflakes drifted past their window on a cold evening. Amy picked it up, pausing to once again admire the ring that fitted around her fourth finger, and sat beside Sonic on the couch, snuggling into his arms as they began to read it together.

'_Dear Sonic and Amy,_

_Thanks for your reply.__ I can't believe you guys are engaged! Me and Jecht are so happy for you!'_

Sonic and Amy smiled at each other, enjoying the excitement in the air that appeared every time they thought about it. She rested her head on her fiancé's chest, holding one of his hands as they continued to read.

'_Of course we will come back to Mobius for the wedding! We can't wait! _

_As you know, we're now in Italy this week and it's amazing. Amy, you would love it here, it's very – as you would say – romantic! Though I admit we had difficulty talking to the locals. You should've heard Jecht trying to speak Italian, it was so funny! _

_Anyway, we're doing great. Thanks again for your letter, and we'll see you in a few months time!_

_Lots of love, Rikku and Jecht. Xxx_'

.

Amy placed the postcard on the table and wrapped her arms around Sonic's neck. "I'm glad they're so happy," she said. "And we are too." Then she smiled at him again. "I think love really does conquer everything."

Sonic kissed her happily. "Me too, Amy. I think we all proved that."

* * *

**Yay! Sonic and Amy are engaged! :D I just had to make that happen! So Jecht and Rikku managed to carry out their plan of travelling the world and all is well again in the world! :3**

**I hope you liked that, I'm glad it's finally done and for those of you who don't like OCs, don't worry, there will no more stories dedicated to them :). From now on it's canon stuff. And since it's the finale, you hereby are sentenced to read (or skim over) the whole thing to recap and tell me what you thought about it. Thank you so much for reading this, everyone! :) And look out for my next story, 'Me, Myself and Andy'. (And no, Andy is NOT an OC... you'll see...)**


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